I've Had Worse
by Clueless4You
Summary: Kanda, Lenalee, and Lavi stumble across a young boy while seeking shelter from a storm. But he isn't what he seems to be. How will this boy change their lives forever? Yullen, AU-ish. Title doesn't really mean anything yet, but it will later on. Rated T for language and Yaoi!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello! I'll make it quick; I had a dream and I thought it would make a great fanfic. This is only the first chapter, and might not make a ton of sense. PM me if you have any questions/ideas, and please be kind in reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man**

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Kanda lifted his sopping bangs out of his eyes, searching for shelter through the storm. In the dark, he could barely make out an old ramshackle hut at the edge of the woods. He could see a well off to the side.

"Hey, stupid rabbit! I found a place to stay for the night! Get a move on!"

Lavi turned to Kanda, nodded, and turned back. "Lenalee!" He shouted through the wind. "Yuu found us a place to-" he stopped as he felt a sharp poke in the middle of his back.

The redhead pivoted slowly on his heel, finding a fuming samurai wielding a deadly katana. Said katana was shoved under Lavi's nose threateningly.

"Oh, Yuu, I didn't- Ah!" He ducked instinctively as Kanda swung the sharp object at his head, aiming for decapitation.

Lenalee burst onto the scene at that moment, brandishing her lethal clipboard and whacking them each on the head.

"Stop messing around! We need to get inside before it gets too cold!" She finished scolding them and jogged to the door of the hut. She raised her hand and pounded on the door. After a few moments, she knocked again. When no one answered, she tried the handle. The door swung open easily. Lenalee stuck her head inside, looking around warily.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" She pulled back and waved the other two neared to her. "Guys, I'm gonna go in. It doesn't look like anyone is here. We'll tidy up when we leave. Until then, goodnight!" She pulled a crisp sheet from the futon and used a few of her hair pins to tack it to two walls, creating a makeshift door for privacy. She shrugged off her soaked exorcist jacket and slung it over the back of a chair.

She heard the boys arguing about who would sleep where, and chuckled lightly to herself. They were so childish sometimes.

Lenalee pulled off her top, pulling on a long tee. Next came her pigtails, green hair falling over her shoulders. She found a small blanket in the depths of her pack and dragged it over to the futon with her. She flopped inelegantly onto it, wrapping the blanket tightly around her. Her last thought as sleep enveloped her was the innocence that she had left unprotected in her pack.

The sunlight shone brightly through the dirty window into Lenalee's eyes, forcing her awake. She blinked sleepily, propping herself up on her elbows. The storm from last night had ended, at least. She yawned widely. Lenalee flipped the blanket off her body and stood. She walked over to her pack and searched for the Innocence. She couldn't find it. With growing panic, she rummaged through each and every pocket.

She groaned and crouched on the balls of her feet, burying her head in her hands. What would Kanda and Lavi do when they found out? Then she perked. It wasn't very early; maybe one of them woke up and put it in a safer place! But, wait, they wouldn't dare, with Komui's protectiveness. They knew he would send out the hundredth Komurin if he knew they had entered her sleeping quarters, however poorly established they were.

She took deep breath and faced the facts. It was her fault that the Innocence wasn't in their possession. She would have to take her punishment. But first, she had to tell Kanda and Lavi.

Lenalee sighed as she snatched her clothes and roughly yanked them on. She pulled the sheet she had hung up to the side, and walked to the other room. And immediately blushed and 'eep'ed.

Kanda was suspended from the ceiling by his bound hands, a rag tied tightly in his mouth and balancing on the tips of his toes. His shoulder looked like it was dislocated from holding the rest of his weight, and he was sweating heavily. Lavi, on the other hand, was hog-tied and tossed in the corner, his headband pushed around his mouth and nose. That wasn't even the bad part. The bad part was that neither of them was wearing their shirts. Kanda was clothed in a pair of loose sweatpants, the waistband falling slightly and revealing starry boxers. Lavi was only wearing his underwear, which were decorated in cute bunny faces.

Without thinking, Lenalee's hands flew up to her eyes, trying to block the image. She heard a 'whump' behind her and felt a warm hand on her shoulder, then a sharp pain in her neck and all went black.

Kanda grumbled to himself, annoyed. He had woken up to find himself tied up and gagged, the baka usagi still sleeping soundly. His Mugen was nowhere to be found. He didn't know how he had let this happen, but he was angry at himself and the usagi. He tugged once more at the ropes around his wrists, letting his feet fall from underneath him. He bit down on the rope as he felt the muscles and ligaments straining under his weight. He pushed his toes back under him.

Kanda cursed that stupid usagi for being such a heavy sleeper. He tried to swing himself at the redhead and kick him awake, but he couldn't quite reach. He had also tried flipping himself upside down and pushing against the beam he was tied to, but there was something up there knocking his feet down when he tried. It was warm and soft, and he didn't like the idea that there was something alive up there.

He tried once more to break the rope, and managed to dislocate his shoulder. He managed a strangled scream through the gag, and Lavi twitched in his sleep. _'What does that stupid rabbit dream about to keep him asleep for so long?'_ Kanda wondered through the pain. _'Come on, Lavi! Get your fat ass out of bed and smell the trouble!'_ He actually used the rabbit's first name. That wasn't a good sign.

He swung his foot out at the sleeping teen and got an idea. He had only been an inch or so away from kicking the boy before, so now with his shoulder, he might be able to reach! It would hurt a lot, though. Kanda contemplated, and made up his mind. He bit down on the gag firmly, his jaw cramping with the pressure. He pulled his feet as far behind him as he could and lifted them. He used his good arm to support himself as long as possible, and kicked out with the foot nearest Lavi using as much force as he could.

Kanda felt his toe scratch across Lavi's cheek and smirked to himself. _'Success!' _He watched as Lavi squeezed his eyes tightly and opened them. Lavi blinked twice at Kanda, who glared dangerously at the redhead. Lavi opened his mouth to speak, and a small black and white bundle fell on him.

Lavi cried out sharply, but was cut off by his headband being shoved over his mouth. His eye patch was skewed in the process, and he kept his eye firmly closed. He struggled as the attacker looped a rope around his wrists and pulled it tight. He managed to kick the person in the shin, and it was forced to wrap the rope around each individual ankle and add them into the mix of limbs and rope. In the process, it managed to steal Lavi's hammer from the holster on his leg, throwing the weapon next to Mugen.

The attacker, whose face was hidden, fit its arms under Lavi and tossed him into the nearest corner. It jumped forward, stopping only to adjust Lavi's eye patch so it was back in its original position. Then, in a flash, it was back up in the rafters, out of sight.

The two captives stared at the ceiling as best as they could, then glanced down at the other. Lavi grinned through the gag, enraging Kanda further.

Now, they stared, concerned, at Lenalee. She was unconscious, set nicely in a chair, though her hands were tied above her, much like Kanda's. Apparently, the attacker couldn't get Lenalee's Innocence off, so it tied her legs together, ankle to knee, with thick rope and chains. There was a chain that snaked around her middle, keeping her back against the hard wood of the chair.

Lenalee groaned and opened them, focusing on the trapped exorcists. They were just as they were when she last saw them, tied up and uncomfortable. Kanda's shoulder looked worse than before, grossly out of place. She didn't know what to do now.

"So, how are you two holding up?" She asked, finding her mouth free and unrestricted. Kanda closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Lavi chuckled and smiled through his headband.

A figure jumped down from the rafters, startling them all. It stood slowly, revealing their captor.

Before them stood a young boy, not even Lenalee's age, clothed in tattered finery. The only thing he wore that weren't filled with holes and tears were the white gloves on his hands. He had snow white hair, bangs coming to just above his eyes. His eyes, which were soft, shimmery gray, looked curiously at him, his head tilted to the side. A thin red scar ran down the left side of his face, cutting to the side and back down to his jaw line, another crisscrossing the first.

He opened his mouth slightly, and spoke, the sweetest sound they had heard projecting out. "What are you three here for? You haven't come here before."

Lenalee deadpanned, mouth opening and closing like a fishes. After a long minute, she finally found her voice. "What do you mean, we haven't been here before? Do you live here?" She would have believed it, too. His old, shabby clothes fit closely with the old, shabby house.

He nodded, an innocent gesture that sent a warm stone into the pit of Lenalee's stomach. He took a step forward, and in a much more serious voice, asked; "What are you three doing here? People don't just come out here to have a nice vacation."

Lenalee looked warily at Kanda, who nodded firmly. She turned her head to Lavi, who did the same. She sighed and stared the boy dead in the eye, all nervousness gone. "We are exorcists of the Black Order, and we are on a mission to retrieve Innocence. We were on our way back to headquarters when we were met with a bad storm. We were forced to take shelter in this building. You know the rest."

The boy thought hard. "Innocence? That glow-y green stuff?" Lenalee nodded eagerly. He walked to the pile which contained Mugen and Odzuchi Kodzuchi, and snatched up the katana. Kanda let out a muffled sound of protest that was ignored by the white-haired boy.

He jumped up to the rafters, taking sure steps across boards that were laid horizontally. He came back, dropping into a crouch, the Innocence held on the tip of Mugen's sheathe. "Is this what you were talking about?"

Lenalee nodded again, relieved at seeing the Innocence whole and safe. "Yes, that's it! Why are you holding it on Mugen?"

He set the sword down carefully, resting the Innocence on the ground. He pulled his right glove off by the fingertips, and held his hand out to the three of them. "For some reason, I can't touch this stuff." His palm was bright red and blistered, and his fingertips were black with heat.

Lenalee stared, confused. Why couldn't this boy touch Innocence, but everyone else could? Even akuma could touch it with no repercussions.

"Um, before we talk anymore, could you maybe, let us go?" The boy glanced up at her, realizing he hadn't freed them yet.

"Are you sure you just came here on accident? No one sent you here to hurt me?"

Lenalee furrowed her brow, and saw Lavi do the same. "No, we didn't even know you existed before you tied us up this morning." He nodded firmly, then went to Kanda first to untie him. He undid the knot with nimble fingers and caught the teen around the middle when he fell heavily to the side.

He pushed Kanda against the wall and moved to his arm, saying, "I figure you'll still want that gag to bite while I'm doing this, so I'll leave it for now." His hand shot out to the injured limb and twisted it roughly, back into the socket. Kanda's eyes widened considerably, but as soon as the 'pop' resounded through the room, he leaned his head against the wall and let them flutter closed.

The white-haired teen moved his arm slowly now, to Kanda's lap. He reached his hands behind Kanda's head and quickly undid the knot, freeing him from the gag. Kanda took in a grateful breath and clutched his shoulder with the other hand, glaring at the boy.

The boy, unfazed, moved quickly to Lavi and set about freeing him as well. He deftly untied the ropes and left him to remove his headband. He moved over to Lenalee, and unwound the chain from her legs, then the rope, then the rope from around her waist, and finally loosened the knot around her wrists.

Lenalee quickly brought them to her chest, rubbing her hands to get the blood flowing. She leapt on the Innocence, still on the floor where it was, and cradled it in her hands. She examined the Innocence, checking for any damage, then shoved it in a pocket and stood up. Lavi joined her, moving to snatch his hammer from the far corner and also grabbed Mugen, placing it near Kanda.

The boy held his hand out to Lenalee. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. I don't normally have much need for manners. My name is Allen Walker."

Lenalee reached out hesitantly and shook his hand once. She pulled back from Allen and introduced herself and her companions.

Kanda stood and rotated his shoulder, feeling the newly healed ligaments adjusting to his movements. He bent down and unsheathed Mugen, leaping on Allen and putting Mugen millimeters from his neck. Allen went down without a sound, staring Kanda dead in the eyes the whole way.

"You lying bastards. You said you weren't here to hurt me, and I believed you. Well?" he said, his face growing red with anger, "Go on, then! Kill me, get it over with."

Kanda hesitated at his willingness to die. He shoved the blade closer to his neck, nicking the skin. "If you ever try anything like that again, I will kill you. Got it?" He stood up, grudgingly sheathing his katana. Allen looked up at him from his position on the ground.

"Why didn't you kill me? That was your job, wasn't it?" Lavi jumped in.

"Nah, buddy! Yuu's just got some anger management issues, don't ya, Yuu?" He ducked the sword as it was swung for his head, losing a few strands of his bright red hair in the process. "See? What'd I tell ya?" He ran to the other side of Lenalee, using her as a shield.

Lenalee growled, pulling a clipboard from the folds of her exorcist jacket, whapping each of them on the head with it. Allen watched, still lying on the floor, with slight interest. He jumped when Lenalee focused on him, still holding the clipboard menacingly. She lowered it to her waist, a sad look adorning her face.

"Allen, why did you think we were here to hurt you?" He got to his knees and looked at the ground, bangs covering his eyes, and shook his head.

"No reason…" He trailed off. Lenalee tapped him gently on the head with her clipboard. It was just hard enough to get his attention.

"Allen, we're the good guys. You can tell us." Allen shook his head once more, then pushed himself to his feet. He smiled broadly.

"Would you three like to stay here for lunch?"

Lenalee paced the room anxiously. She really did hate to intrude on other people. But she just had to figure out why this boy was so different.

Allen had gone into town a few miles off to get groceries. They had declined staying, but he insisted. He took off with Lavi once the redhead got dressed, explaining that he would need someone to help him carry the bags. Now, Kanda was meditating in the other room and Lenalee was wearing the floorboards thin with her pacing.

She felt so useless, worrying and thinking and worrying. Kanda was training, in his own way. And Lavi made himself useful, getting dragged along to get groceries. Lenalee decided to try and clean up a little, at least to make herself feel less useless.

She grabbed a rag from her pack and set about dusting everything on her side of the hut. When she was finished, she searched the closet for a broom. Boy, she hoped those two were okay!

Lavi hefted the bags higher in his arms, craning his neck to peer around them. Allen walked in front of him, carrying twice as many bags. He had them draped over his forearms, and more held tightly against his chest. As they walked through the streets, Lavi noticed the nasty looks the people threw over their shoulders at Allen. He didn't understand it, but Allen didn't seem to be affected by it at all.

"Hey, Lavi? Could you go back to the market and grab some apples? I forgot them." His voice was strained. Lavi looked in his bags and spotted a bag of apples.

"What are you talking about? We have some right here, see?"

Allen shook his head. "I was hoping to get two kinds. See if you can find some green ones this time. I'll wait for you here. Just leave the bags with me."

Lavi hesitantly lowered the bags to the ground, and turned away. He walked back to the marketplace, taking his time to browse the apples. He wondered about Allen. He had been acting weird when Lavi left. He decided to hurry back to the main road.

Lavi picked up the pace. He spotted their bags, left nicely upright and bunched together. But there was no Allen.

Lavi heard a muffled cry coming from a nearby alley. He pulled Odzuchi Kodzuchi from its holster and walked to the entrance of the alley. He peeked around the corner, keeping an eye out for akuma.

Instead, he found Allen, who was being beaten thoroughly by five full-grown men. He was curled into a ball to protect himself from their damaging kicks. Lavi could see blood on his shirt and dripping down his chin; there was a small pool of the sticky stuff beneath him.

Allen cried out as a particularly hard kick to the ribs connected. Lavi heard a sickening snap, and rushed forward to protect the kid. He had to admit it, even though they met on bad terms and hadn't known each other very long, the kid had grown on Lavi. He didn't even know how.

Lavi leaped at the nearest man, sending his fist deep into his gut. He didn't want to use Innocence on a not-so-innocent citizen, and had to resort to hand to hand fighting. The man hunched over, holding his stomach tightly. The other four stopped kicking at Allen and turned to face Lavi. They grinned and cracked their knuckles.

Lavi took an offensive stance, crouched slightly with both hands out in front of his face. Lavi started forward, pulling his hand back in a fist.

"No Lavi, WAIT!" Lavi stopped short of the men by a few feet and tripped forward. He found his balance and looked pleadingly down at Allen's beaten form. The white-haired teen was struggling to his knees, holding his ribcage.

"Why? Why won't you let me defend you?" Lavi rushed forward and caught the younger gently by the shoulders. He propped Allen up and looked him in the eyes.

Allen coughed and groaned. "Because they already hate me. Once you leave, I don't want them to have another reason to hurt me. I have to convince them that I'm not the bad guy, that I can be trusted. Please, just let them do this."

Lavi hesitated, not wanting to abandon his new friend. Allen shot him another begging look, and Lavi couldn't take it anymore. He stood slowly, glaring at the five men as he shoved his way through them. He stopped at the end of the alley and stood guard. He winced as the men started to beat on Allen again. He fought the urge to smack the crap out of the men every time he heard Allen cry out.

After a few minutes, he resignedly started gathering the groceries they had bought. He grouped them in piles all around him. He watched in disgust as the townspeople hurried by, not even sparing a glance for the boy. He scowled at them as they hurried by.

When an hour had passed, the men emerged from the alley, sweating and panting. The one that had been punched by Lavi pointed backwards with his thumb.

"Have fun with that sorry excuse of a person."

Lavi's eyes widened, and he struggled for a long time with himself before leaping at the man, driving his fist into the other's cheek this time. The man stumbled and fell to the ground. Lavi proceeded to pound each and every one of them thoroughly.

He stood and brushed his hands off, leaving the men in a pile. He rushed back to Allen's side.

He took one glance at the state his new friend was in, and forgot about the groceries entirely. The teen was bleeding from multiple gashes all along his body, and his left arm was twisted at a grotesque angle. Lavi gingerly lifted the boy's now unconscious body into his arms and shook his slightly.

"Allen? Hey, Allen, come on! You gotta wake up, buddy!" Lavi gave up on trying to wake the boy. Instead, he slid his arms under Allen's knees and shoulders and heaved him up into the air, making sure not to jostle his arm. He marveled at how light the boy was. He took off at a trot down the road.

As they passed bystanders, the people shied away from the two. Mothers pulled their children behind them, men blocked their wives from view, and everyone avoided looking at Allen. Lavi ignored all of them, sprinting as fast as he could with the slight weight in his arms.

Lenalee couldn't take it anymore. It had been four hours; plenty of time to get groceries and get back, even walking through the woods. It was well past lunchtime, anyway. They had a mission to complete and Innocence to deliver. Lenalee had all her stuff packed up and ready to leave as soon as Lavi got back, as did Kanda.

She was getting ready to leave in search of the exorcist when the door slammed open, startling the two inside. Lavi ran inside, panting and dripping sweat. In his arms was Allen, bloody and unconscious. His head lolled to the side as Lavi set him on the futon.

"What the hell happened, rabbit?" Kanda was there in an instant, looking over Lavi's shoulder as the redhead lifted Allen's arm.

"I'll explain once we get him fixed up. Right now, I'm more worried about what will happen than what did." He pressed a few areas on the arm, around the break, and twisted it suddenly. Lenalee shuddered as the bones ground against each other and slid back into place. Lavi tore off a long strip of cloth from Allen's shirt and wound it around the teen's arm tightly.

Kanda quickly ran outside to the well, dragging back a bucket of water. He grabbed the top sheet from the bed and tore it up, handing a soaked square to Lenalee. She started wiping the blood away from his wounds and the corners of his mouth, pausing to put a hand to his forehead.

His skin nearly burnt her as she brushed the hair off his brow, and she noticed an inverted pentacle connecting with the scar on his face. Her fingers lingered on the star, tracing the line. She had known from the beginning that the scar wasn't normal, but know she was dying to know just how he got it.

Lavi finished binding Allen's wounds and sat back on his heels. His shirtsleeves were covered in blood from carrying the boy here. He yanked the shirt over his head, throwing it next to his pack. He grabbed another shirt at random from inside and pulled in on.

Lenalee put a hand on his shoulder. "Now will you tell us what happened?" Her better sense told her not to ask, but she had to know.

Lavi bent his head, shadows covering his eyes. "He knew it was coming. He saw something that tipped him off, and he sent me away. Told me to go get some more stuff. When I got back, there were five of them, all around him in an alley. They were kicking the shit out of him. I tried to stop them, got as far as punching one in the gut, but he stopped me, said he had to convince them, or something. He was already in bad shape, and that was five minutes in.

"I waited for an hour, Lenalee, for them to be done." He looked up, distress clear in his one eye. "An entire hour of listening to them beat him up. I listened to what they said. They didn't even have a reason to beat him up! It was just for being alive that they did this." Lenalee's breath caught.

He sniffed and choked out a chuckle. "I ended up whooping them all, anyway, no matter that he told me not to. That man, he insulted Allen, called him a sorry excuse of a person. What a hypocrite…" he muttered angrily. "He wouldn't wake up. I tried to wake him up, but he wouldn't. I carried him straight here." Tears welled up in his eye.

"This has happened before, I just know it. The way he acted about it, like it was all okay for him to be treated this way… it was really scary, Lena. More so than any akuma I've ever seen before."

Kanda 'che'd and stood. "If the brat doesn't want to stand up for himself, you shouldn't. It's his job, and he needs to do it himself. Otherwise he's no better than a sniveling child." He cast a sidelong look at Allen. _'But he could've died just now. I wonder what really made him put up with that.'_

Lenalee sighed. "Okay, guys, I don't think it's right to just leave him like this. I'm going to stay with him until he gets better. You two go on ahead and take the Innocence with you."

Lavi shook his head. "No way am I leaving this little guy behind here. Plus, Komui'd kill me if I went back without you."

They looked at Kanda. "Che, I don't figure you two would do the job right, so I'll stay and make sure it gets done." Lavi cheered like a fangirl and jumped up, wrapping his arms around Kanda's neck.

"Yay, Yuu-Chan's gonna stay with us!" He froze as a cold blade was pressed to his throat.

"Don't call me that, baka usagi, unless you want to find your entrails removed and shoved up your ass!"

Lavi gulped and nodded, releasing the older.

"Wait! I left all his groceries at the market! Now what are we gonna eat!?" He looked pleadingly at Lenalee. "Do you think you could use your Dark Boots to fly back and grab them quick? It's a long way on foot…" He gave her the puppy dog eye.

"Ooohh, fine!" She growled. "Where did you leave them?"

"Yay! They were on the main street of the marketplace; you can't miss 'em! There's a ton of bags all around the entrance to an alley." His eye darkened. "That was where they beat up Allen."

Lenalee nodded, not liking the intensity Lavi had. "Alright, I'll be back in a jiffy!"

She jumped out the door and took to the skies, Dark Boots glowing in the darkening sky.

She bounced to and fro on the sound waves, making her way to the center of the market. When she got there, Lenalee slowed and stopped. She glanced around for a pile of bags. There!

She jogged over to the entrance of the alley, keeping her eyes down and away. She didn't want to see it. She grabbed a few of the bags on each arm and leaped back into the sky. She wondered why the items hadn't been stolen.

On her fourth trip, she only had three bags left to carry. She lifted them into her arms and steeled herself. She looked up at the alley.

There was blood everywhere. It was hard to believe any one person could have so much of the stuff in them. It was smeared on the bricks, near dried. She looked closer, forcing down her rising nausea. There were layers upon layers of dried blood; some there for a long time, some more recent.

'_Lavi was right! This has been going on for a long time! Why doesn't Allen ever stop them?'_

She picked her way around the puddles of blood, moving to the center of the mess. There were gouge marks in the dirt, like a blade had been plunged in. The soil that had been upturned was still fresh.

'_They used knives on him!'_ She nearly dropped the groceries to cover her mouth. _'So this is why he figured we would hurt him! People must have gone out to his house before and tried to kill him in his sleep!'_ She couldn't understand why anyone would do such terrible things to such a young boy.

Lenalee hitched the bags higher up on her arms and leaped into the air. She went as fast as she could back to the house. She felt the tears well up in her eyes, and finally let them flow. She burst into the front of the house sobbing.

"Lenalee? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Lavi jumped to his feet and rushed to her side. She let the grocery bags fall to the floor and launched herself into his arms.

"What the hell, Lenalee! Tell me what happened!" Lavi shook her slightly in his arms. Even Kanda stood from his spot on the floor and came closer with a worried air.

"I-It was terrible! All the blood, a-and they used knives!" She buried her head deeper into Lavi's chest.

"What? Who used knives? Did someone hurt you?" She shook her head. Lenalee sniffed strongly and took a deep breath.

"N-no, those men that attacked Allen! I looked in the alley even though you told me not to, and there was just so much blood! Everything was covered in it… How could there be so much blood in such a small person?" Lavi closed his eye.

"Damn, I shouldn't have let you go. I'm sorry, Lena, that you had to see that."

"See what?" Kanda asked, interrupting them. "What the hell did you see to freak you out so badly?"

Lavi shook his head solemnly, and Kanda for once complied. He backed into the other room awkwardly, saying, "I'm gonna go make sure the Moyashi's still asleep."

When Kanda pulled the blanket back over the 'door' to the other room, Lavi pushed Lenalee off of his chest and looked her dead in the eyes. "Tell me exactly what you saw. Start at the beginning."

Lenalee wiped the last of the tears from her face as she finished telling Lavi what she had been privy to at the marketplace. His eye was wide with shock, and he fell heavily onto his butt on the floor. "Jeez. Knives. What the hell did this kid do to those guys?"

At that moment, Kanda poked his head back into their side of the hut. "I think I know the answer to that one." Lavi stared at Kanda, not quite comprehending what the taller teen was saying. "Che, usagi, I'm saying I know why those idiots in town beat up so much on Moyashi here."

Lavi jumped back to his feet. "Good! Maybe we can solve the problem!"

Kanda shook his head. "I don't think we can fix this one. No one could ever really make this go away." Lavi stepped back, suddenly fearful. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about intruding like this. He took a deep breath and shoved the curtain aside.

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**AN: Okie dokie, please review with that lovely button down below! I'm sorry if some of them seemed a little OOC, but I didn't see much of the anime, just up till around ep. 50. Please be kind, and if you have any grammar fixes I would love to hear them!**

**5,458 words!**


	2. The Title is Explained!

**AN: So, I absolutely love you guys! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Anyway, just had my first basketball game of the year and we bombed it. :( Girl fell on top of me and I fouled her the next play. Karma! Here's the second chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own -ay Man**

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Lavi drew the curtain back, stirring the air. Lenalee gasped and started crying all over again. Lavi took a step forward and stopped.

Allen lay prone on the futon, his shirt tossed to the side. His chest was wrapped in bandages, and they were spotted with blood. His right hand had a large bandage covering its entirety. But his arm, his left arm; it was the color of dried blood and mangled terribly. His skin was bumpy and twisted, gnarled like an old tree. The nails were blackened and dead-looking, squared off at the tips. The skin was scaly and dry, and at the back of his hand there was a cross embedded deeply. A green glint caught Lavi's eye.

'_A piece of glass? That has to be hurting him terribly.'_ He shook his head and left Lenalee's side. He approached Allen carefully and laid his hand on the boy's left arm. The limb was rough to the touch, and his skin crawled momentarily. He fought the feeling and lifted the bandaged arm. He moved his face closer to the cross in the back of the hand and squinted. He peered for a long minute, moving it to get a better angle. He was rewarded with a flash of green light, faintly glowing.

Lavi harrumphed in triumph. "This kid has got innocence. He's a parasitic user, that's why his arm is this way." He gently lowered the limb back to the futon and stood. "I guess the townspeople saw his arm as a sign that he was a demon or something. That would explain a lot; the looks at the marketplace, why the citizens wouldn't touch his groceries after they had been abandoned, all the beatings…" he mused. He picked up the discarded shirt and draped it over Allen, hiding the arm and all the wounds.

Lenalee couldn't draw her eyes from the boy's emaciated form. He was so damn skinny, and all the bruises and wounds and scars… NO! She shook her head firmly. She didn't want to appear weak in front of Kanda and Lavi, who had been so strong through all of the troubles at the Order. She too, stood, and turned to leave the room. She shoved the curtain out of the way and lifted the last of the grocery bags from where she had dropped them on the floor. She walked out of the house with the bags in hand and tossed them all in the cellar to keep them cold.

Lenalee wiped her eyes before walking back into the house. She pulled the mop she had used earlier that day back out of the cupboard and set to cleaning up the bloodstains left on the floor from Allen's wounds. She scrubbed at them furiously, as if she could heal the boy's wounds with her sheer willpower.

Lavi stood to the side as he watched Lenalee attack the floor with the mop. He glanced over at Kanda and saw the male kneeling at the low table. He had his arms crossed against his chest and the angry look on his face, as usual. But he seemed distracted, somehow. He kept stealing discreet glances at Allen, looking quickly away. Lavi wouldn't have noticed, were it not for his Bookman training.

"Hey, Yuu-chan! Whaddaya keep looking at Allen for? Got a little crush on the Moyashi?" He 'eep'ed as Mugen was pointed straight at his face. "H-hey, Yuu- Ah!" He ducked out of the way and ran for cover behind Lenalee, who was still cleaning the floor.

"Don't call me by my name, Baka! Actually, don't call me anything!" He sheathed Mugen angrily and sat back down at the table, huffing something about 'rabbit stew' and 'broiled rabbit'. Lavi grinned and walked over to Allen's side.

"Hey, little buddy! How 'bout you wake up soon and we can take you back to headquarters, sound good? You can be an exorcist, just like the three of us are, and be a hero." He smirked bitterly. "Never mind that last part. But come on, Lenalee's gonna dig her way to China with that mop before you wake up! You better hurry if you don't want a hole through your floor. That would be a lot of debts to pay off!"

Allen shifted and groaned. Lavi blinked. "Did that actually work? Was it something I said?" Allen was still once more. "Um… hole!"

Allen was still. "China!" Still no response. "Debts!" Allen shifted in his sleep, all of the blood draining out of his face. Lavi smiled widely. "Deeeebtss…. Deeeeeeeebbttssss… Lots and lots of debts, Allen!"

The young teen's eyes snapped open suddenly, and he clawed out at Lavi. "Don't say that word ever again!" He glared at the redhead for a moment, then his eyes seemed to go dull and he fell back onto the bed heavily. Lavi jumped to the boy's side. Allen looked up at him. "I feel kinda sore…" he murmured into the pillow.

Lavi had to grin. "Of course you do, Moyashi! Getting beat up like that, you wouldn't exactly feel the greatest the next morning!" He disturbed himself with how easily he had lied to the boy. He was truly horrified at the men, but he played it off as a joke. _'I must be losing my heart, like Jiji wants…' _Kanda watched from his spot at the table with little interest.

Allen chuckled with him, pushing his hands under his torso. "The name's Allen, stupid." He started to lift himself, arms shaking.

"Kid… what are you doing? There's no way you can stand with injuries like that!" He put his hand on Allen's chest, trying to force him back down. Lenalee heard them talking and ran into the room, mop falling to the ground forgotten.

"Allen! Ho-Why the hell are you standing already?! There is no way in hell that you are already okay enough to be on your feet, so just sit back down right now!" Lenalee glared at him, scarier even than Kanda. Her clipboard emerged from thin air once more and she held it threateningly towards him.

Allen looked at her, all traces of humor gone. "I'm fine, Lenalee. I've had worse." He brushed Lavi's hand off of his chest and finished standing, the shirt falling off of his form. He leaned heavily against the wall and winced sharply. His right hand flew to his chest, pressing hard against where his heart was.

_Ba-bump_

He gasped and curled in on himself slightly. "Allen?" Lavi asked, concerned. "Hey, little buddy, what's wrong?"

_Ba-bump_

"N-nothing!" Allen ground out through gritted teeth. "I'm fine, it happens all the time!" He smacked his head against the wall as the throbbing of his heart echoed throughout his body again.

_Ba-bump_

Kanda stood and walked over to them. "Che, move you dumbass."

_Ba-bump_

He pulled Allen away from the wall and laid him gently out on the futon once more. He pinned the straining arms to the Moyashi's sides and leaned his head down towards the heaving chest, tilting his ear downwards.

_Ba-bump_

Moyashi let out a strangled groan and lurched against Kanda's firm form. The dark-haired samurai pressed his ear to the bandages around the Moyashi's chest and listened intently.

_Ba-bump_

Kanda's eyes widened. He looked up at Lenalee. "Take him to the Order, he needs a doctor. Go as fast as you can, alright? Lavi and I will call in on the golem and have a medical team waiting at the gates. Now hurry!"

Lenalee inwardly gaped at Kanda's oddly serious words. They weren't laced with sarcasm or annoyance, and he had actually called Lavi by his name. She nodded her head and crouched slightly as Kanda easily lifted the boy and set him onto her back. She could feel his racing heartbeat through the exorcist jacket that she wore.

_Ba-bump_

Allen twitched as another wave of pain rocketed through his body. He felt himself being lifted, and then a warm thing against his bare chest. He could hear voices, but they were very faint in the presence of his heartbeat.

_Ba-bump_

Allen nearly fainted as this wave, much stronger than all of the others, rolled over him. Lenalee tilted midair to keep the limp boy from falling off of her back. She wrapped his arms around her neck more tightly and moved faster. The boy was fading fast, and she didn't know if she would make it in time. It was still a few miles to the Order, and they had already been traveling for ten minutes.

"Come on, Allen, you've got to hold on! You're an exorcist, we don't die this easily!" She knew it was a lie as soon as it was out of her mouth. Many exorcists had died on easy missions, but she didn't want to dishearten the boy. "Please, just a little longer…" She glanced back at the boy on her back.

_Ba-bump_

"Oh, no…" She bounced him slightly as she flew, trying to make him open his eyes. They kept fluttering closed. "Allen! Come on, Allen! Look at me! Open your eyes NOW!"

_Ba-bump_

Allen heard an angry voice in the distance, but couldn't make out any of the words. They kept fading away, beneath his heartbeat. "Look at.." "Open your eyes NOW!"

His eyes flew open, rushing to obey the orders. He immediately saw a very angry Lenalee, straight in his face.

_Ba-bump_

"Gaahh!" His arm decided to join the party and started throbbing in accordance with his heart. Lenalee's face went from furious to terrified in a second.

"Allen? Hey, what's wrong?" Her voice was so much smaller than when she had been yelling at him. She turned her head forward and increased her speed even more, pushing her own limits. In a few seconds, she could make out the very top of the Order.

_Ba-bump_

She laughed slightly in joy. "Hey, Allen! You're going to be okay now, I promise!"

_Ba-bump_

They closed in on the Order fast. Lenalee could see the white uniforms of the medical team waiting just outside the door.

_Ba-bump_

She gasped as Allen's head drooped onto her shoulder and all his muscles relaxed. His hands, which had been clenched tightly around each other around her neck, let go and fell down, nearly brushing her boobs. _'Oh, crap! If Nii-san sees him like this, he'll hurt him more than help him!'_ She removed one hand from under his legs to readjust his arms.

They landed on the edge of the island and Lenalee sprinted towards Matron. The older woman skillfully scooped Allen off of her back and laid him down on a stretcher.

_Ba…bump_

He looked so fragile there, white on white on white, with nothing covering him but the bandages. His face was scrunched up in pain. Komui ran out of the building, smiling widely and crocodile tears streaming down his face. He launched himself into Lenalee's arms.

"Oh, my sweet, sweet sister! Those two hooligans didn't touch you, did they? They don't deserve my wonderful baby sister!" He continued on for a moment before Lenalee kicked him in the face and pointed to Allen.

_Ba…bump_

"Nii-san! He's in trouble, you have to help Matron make him better!" She knew she sounded like a child, but it only made Komui focus faster. He immediately straightened up and walked swiftly over to the boy. Matron had stripped him of his bandages and was pressing a stethoscope to his chest. Komui crouched by Allen's right side and lifted his arm to take his pulse.

_Ba…_

Both of their eyes widened simultaneously, and they whisked the stretcher away, disappearing into the halls of the Black Order. Lenalee stared after them, dumbfounded. She shook her head to wake herself up and sprinted down the halls after them. She skidded to a stop right outside of the infirmary, where she could hear yelling voices coming from the door.

She didn't pay any attention to the words; she knew she wouldn't be able to understand anything they were saying. But one phrase caught her attention.

"Hurry, we're losing him!" Lenalee's blood ran cold. _'No, Allen can't die. He… he just can't die!'_

Kanda and Lavi ran through the woods as fast as they could. Kanda had already called in to tell the Order about Allen. They hoped that Lenalee had already gotten Allen back and into the infirmary.

Lavi tilted his head as a question popped into his mind. "Hey, Yuu-" He leaped out of reach of the samurai's sword. "Calm, down. I was just wondering; how did you know that Allen was in trouble? I mean, I couldn't tell anything at all, other than that he was in trouble, then you pop in and _boom,_ the kid's disappeared with Lenalee, heading to the Order."

Kanda growled and hung his head. He mumbled into his shoulder.

"What? Kanda, I can't hear you."

Kanda's head snapped up towards the redhead. "I said that's how my dad died!" Lavi was silenced instantaneously. Kanda sighed. "My dad, he had this thing, some heart problem he contracted when he was traveling. I was there, the night he died. We were curled up on his side of the bed, and I had my head on his chest. I could hear what his heart did right before he died. That's what the bean's heart sounded like, just now."

Lavi paled and thought. _'If Yuu's dad _died_ of this, will Allen bite the dust, too?'_ He stopped himself from thinking too much further and pushed himself to run even faster.

Lenalee sat outside the infirmary for a long time. She didn't pay attention as the people passed by, glancing at her pityingly. The rumors were starting to spread, now that she showed up with a dying boy on her back out of the blue. What were people supposed to think, really? It was a bit suspicious.

She heard two more pairs of shoes clacking by, but she paid no heed to them. Until, that is, they sat down on either side of her and rested a hand on each of her shoulders.

Miranda was close to tears as she sat with Lenalee, stoically silent. Krory was a little more grounded, forcing his tears to remain hidden as he offered his support to his friend. She didn't know whether it had been hours or minutes before Krory stood and walked back down the hallway.

Miranda stayed by Lenalee's side and rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. Krory came back with a tray of food.

"I heard your stomach rumbling. I figured you should eat." He set the tray down on Lenalee's lap and gently pushed the chopsticks into her hand. Lenalee automatically began eating, though she didn't taste anything. When she was done, Krory sighed and took the tray back to the cafeteria. He was back soon after, and assumed his position by her.

After another hour or so, the door opened, and out walked Komui. His face was tired and worn, and his doctor's mask hung limply by one finger. He sighed loudly and plopped himself in one of the chairs across the hallway, head in hands. Lenalee was on her feet in an instant, crouched by her brother.

"Is Allen okay? What happened? Why did he pass out?" she asked earnestly, almost afraid of the answer. She heard a clattering of boots and looked up to see Lavi and Kanda arriving, out of breath. "So-_pant, pant_-how's the Moyashi_-pant, pant_-doing?" Lavi ground out.

His breathing slowed enough to look at Komui's expression. His eyes widened. "Oh, god… what the hell happened?" Kanda looked up as Komui forced himself to his feet and adjusted his glasses.

"Well… Allen, did you say? Allen is alive." Lavi and Lenalee shouted with joy and hugged each other, and Kanda let out a sigh of relief. "But!" Komui shouted over them. They quieted down and looked at him again. "But, he is in very serious condition. He has Deviated Valve Syndrome, a terminal condition. There has never been a successful transplant, because a patient's blood pressure is too high to undergo an operation. They would bleed out within minutes. Most people who have it die before their eight birthday, even with medical treatment. But as far as I can tell, his has never been addressed by a medical professional before today. He would have died, had it not been for Lenalee's speed. As it was, his heart gave out just after you got him here."

Lenalee gasped. That was why Matron and her Nii-san had rushed him inside so suddenly! Tears started welling up in her eyes. He had nearly died! Lavi put a comforting arm around her shoulder, and for once Komui didn't start breathing fire. Instead, he looked on sadly. "I don't know how, but he has gotten many other wounds and scars that have been infected, and were contributing to his systematic collapse. We revived him, and treated his other wounds, but we figure that with DVS, he only has about two more years before his heart shuts down irreparably. He is virtually no use as an exorcist due to his condition."

Lenalee opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced as Kanda spoke out first. "Like hell he's no use. That kid had all three of us tied up and gagged before we knew he was even there. He has skills, and you can't deny it. That stupid Moyashi will be a valuable exorcist while he can, dumbass."

Komui blinked. "He… he tied all of you up? He managed to best all three of you at once?"

Kanda glanced at the floor, then back up at Komui. "No, not all at once, and he did it while we were asleep. But," He said, speaking over Komui's protest, "He managed to avoid detection from all of us for several hours."

"Yeah!" Lavi joined in. "Allen was up in the rafters of the building we took shelter in, and in the morning, we were all tied up!"

Komui rested his chin on his fist and 'humph'ed. He thought for a long moment, and finally said, "I'll have to think about it. We do need all the exorcists we can get… but I won't put anyone on the field if they can't fend for themselves." He said, glaring at the other two males. He marched off, calling over his shoulder, "You can go in now, but you have to be extremely quiet! If he gets excited, his heart could give out again at any moment!"

Lavi and Lenalee looked at each other, then across at Kanda. The two of them nodded, and the grumpy samurai 'che'd in annoyance.

They softly pushed the door open and slipped in, Kanda holding his loud boots in hand. He set them down on a chair and went to stand in the corner. Lavi automatically went to stand by Allen's left side, and touched the top of his head softly. Lenalee hung back in the doorway, watching the scene unfold.

Allen lay stock still under a white sheet. There were new bandages around his torso, but she could see the tops of shock burns peeking out. She whimpered softly and put her hand over her mouth. His skin was pale, so pale he seemed to blend into the sheets. His arms were on top of the blanket, right next to his sides.

Lenalee though it was an unnatural position. She figured that Allen slept on his side, one arm draped over top and his other under his pillow. His legs would be flung out, one knee to his stomach and the other angled back, toes pointing behind him.

This was not a natural position for anyone. He was as straight as a board. His mouth hung slightly open, and he panted softly. His skin was covered in a sheen of sweat, and beads of the stuff formed at his temples. Lenalee stepped forward and slid her hand under his. Allen didn't react. She sighed and sat down in the chair next to him. Lavi followed suit, and Kanda stood stoically in the corner for hours as the two talked to the boy.

Allen didn't want to wake up. He knew it would hurt, that his chest would ache beyond belief and his head would be pounding. But he couldn't stop himself.

He kept his eyes closed for as long as he could, but the pain was still there, and he couldn't deny the fact that he was awake any longer. He slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the dim lighting of the room. The ceiling was white, as were the walls. He looked down at himself, and was surprised to see Lavi and Lenalee sleeping on either side of his bed, clutching his hands.

He stared at Lavi, ignoring the pain in his chest. The redhead's fingers were intertwined with his own red ones, and his face was extremely close to the cursed thing. Allen looked on in disbelief for several minutes, before Kanda's voice echoed out from the farthest corner of the room. He turned his head as Kanda emerged from the shadows.

"So, the moyashi's finally awake. You dumbass, you had those two worried out of their minds." Allen nearly laughed. He forced out a raspy voice.

"My name is Allen, BaKanda. You make it sound like you were concerned too." The older teen 'che'd and looked away.

"You really are a dumbass if you thought I was worried about _you_. I just didn't want those two blubbering all over me when you died."

Allen grinned. He shifted slightly to get a better look at the dark-haired teen. "Gah!" He cringed and panted. Kanda took a step forward, concerned.

"What happened?" He came to stand by Lavi. Allen shook his head.

"I-it always happens after a… attack." He grimaced. "It just hurts to move for a couple of days."

Kanda was incredulous. "A couple of days? You make that sound like nothing, you idiot! How do you survive like that, not moving for days on end?"

The white-haired teen scowled. "Obviously you didn't listen very well, BaKanda, because I never said I _couldn't _move, just that it _hurt_ to. I was kinda on my own; I didn't have anyone to baby me. If I couldn't get around to do things, I would have died a long time ago."

Kanda didn't know what to say to that. He settled for, "Che, you dumbass," and promptly kicked Lavi's chair. "Hey, usagi, the moyashi woke up." He walked swiftly to the door and closed it loudly behind him.

Lavi groaned and sat up. He looked down at Allen and grinned widely. "Little buddy! Hey, it's good to see you awake!" The redhead bounded around the bed and shook Lenalee's shoulder. She yawned and sat up.

"What, did Allen wake up?" She looked at the boy. "Allen! Thank god, I was so worried!" Allen stared at her.

"You were… worried? About _me_?" He looked confused. Lenalee stopped celebrating and looked at the boy, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, why wouldn't we be? I mean, you are our friend, right?" She smiled gently at him. "Friends worry about their friends. It's only natural!"

Allen nodded, half to himself. "I guess we are friends, aren't we?" He smiled faintly to himself. "I have friends, Mana. I'm not alone anymore." He whispered under his breath.

Lavi stared as Allen spoke softly to himself. He could barely make out the words, but he felt like he was intruding on something as he listened. He motioned to Lenalee to start leaving. "Uh, hey, beansprout, we're gonna go get something to eat, give you some time to rest, okay? We'll be back in the morning."

Allen nodded distractedly. Lavi was just closing the door when Allen called out. "Wait, Lavi!" The redhead sighed and walked back into the room.

"Yeah, bud?"

Allen twiddled his thumbs. "Um, ho-" He bit his lip. "How could you stand to touch my…"

"Your left hand?" Allen nodded ashamedly. "Well, I figure that no matter how screwed up it looks, it's still a part of you, and that makes it as normal as either of mine. You're my friend, Allen, and no screwy pigmenting is gonna change that. I'm not that petty."

Allen nodded and hid his eyes behind his bangs. He sniffled slightly and Lavi saw tears cascading down his cheeks. He groaned and leaned over the side of the bed, pulling Allen into a tight embrace.

"Hey, now, don't go all sappy on me!" He said gently. "I'm not all that great dealing with tears, that's Lena-lady's job." Allen nodded again, not trusting his voice. Lavi let him go and ruffled his hair. "Alright then. I'll see you in the morning, 'kay Allen?"

Allen looked up at Lavi, eyes bright and shining. "You better not be late, usagi!" he said, picking up on Kanda's nickname for the hyper teen.

Lavi groaned. "Aw, man, not you too!"

Lavi stared at the ceiling of his room. He couldn't get the picture of unconscious Allen out of his mind. The boy was so strong, yet so fragile at the same time. He could take on any one of the three strongest exorcists, but his life was hanging by a thread. This boy was certainly an unsolvable conundrum.

Lavi sighed and kicked his blanket off of his legs. It looked like it would be another sleepless night spent in the library, studying up on Panda's assignments.

He slipped a shirt over his head and pulled on his clunky boots, pushing his headband up from around his neck. He crept carefully down the hallway, being careful not to make a sound. He passed the doors to the infirmary, where he pictured Allen sleeping lightly, his face peaceful and carefree. His heart gave a jolt at the image.

'_Huh? What the hell was that?'_ He brushed it off as nothing and continued on his way. He softly pushed open the doors to the library. He took a large step, avoiding the creaky fourth floorboard, and sighed. The hard part was over. Now he just had to sit in here all night and read…

Lavi huffed, blowing a loose strand of hair out of his face. He sat on the nearest table, considering his options.

He could do as he intended and research Panda's topics, or

He could study up on Allen's condition and see if he could figure anything out.

He decided to do the second option, even if he knew he was going to get a face full of Jiji's boot later on. He went found a large medical-looking book and flipped to the glossary. He ran his finger down the list of 'D' entries and found the first page where Deviated Valve Syndrome was mentioned.

After looking through about twenty books and finding nothing but the definition, he closed the book shut and pounded his head softly on the table. He decided that his search was going nowhere fast, and started looking up other heart related conditions.

He found multiple syndromes that were seemingly related, but all of these conditions had proven treatments. It lifted Lavi's spirits to know that there was the possibility that Allen could survive. He finished reading the last book at about two in the morning.

He closed it with a thump and put all of the books in their original places within a couple minutes. He knew Kanda would be up and in the training room by this time. _'Hmm, maybe I should go see if he wants to go check up on Allen…'_ he thought. The idea sent a pang of jealousy through Lavi.

He shook his head and went straight to the infirmary instead.

Lavi stopped just outside of Allen's room and listened. He expected snores to emanate from the room, but what he heard was very different. He heard pants and grunts, like the boy was in pain.

He burst into the room, expecting Allen to be having another attack.

Lavi stared at Allen, who was balanced upside-down, holding onto a chair with one hand. The chair was tilted onto just one leg, and the boy was doing one-armed pushups on it. Lavi couldn't help but stare as Allen looked up at him.

"Oh, Lavi! I… wasn't expecting you here _this_ early in the morning!" Allen finished his repetitions and tilted the chair back onto all four legs, doing an elegant flip over the back. He landed on both feet, hands to either side for balance.

He was so close that Lavi could see the beads of sweat in the white hair, and on the boy's upper lip. Allen was panting slightly, and Lavi felt the warm breath on his neck.

Lavi clapped slowly, grinning as Allen blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey, that was cool and all, but why are you out of bed? You aren't supposed to be up and moving for a few more days, silly!"

Allen stopped blushing. "Yeah, I know, but I couldn't just stay in bed. I have to keep myself in top physical condition."

"Why, to make up for being so short?" Lavi grinned widely in Allen's face. He knew exactly why the kid did it, but why couldn't he get some fun out of the deal?

"I am not _that_ short!" Allen whined.

"Oh, yes you are! I have to look _down_ to see you!"

"That's just because you are freakishly tall!" The smaller teen fumed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just get back into bed, before Matron does her morning rounds. You don't want to see _her _angry!" Lavi shuddered just thinking about it.

"Alright. But you won't try and stop me, will you? I can't even imagine being confined to a bed for more than a few hours." It was Allen's turn to shudder. Lavi looked on, slightly impressed.

'_So how the hell did you deal with all those injuries on your own?'_

"I wouldn't dream of it, Moyashi." He said with all seriousness.

Allen thought for a moment. "So, did you even go to sleep last night?" Lavi jumped.

"How could you tell?" He didn't figure the kid would notice if he was having a mood swing; they hadn't known each other for long at all.

"I can see the bruises under your eyes. I figure you don't sleep much at all, and when you do, it's not very restful." Allen looked up innocently at Lavi. "I did the same thing for a few years, after my-" He cut himself off suddenly, eyes wide. He gritted his teeth. "Well, let's just say I did the same thing a while ago. Try eating just before you go to bed, it might help you get to sleep."

Lavi looked questioningly at Allen. The youth didn't say anymore, and looked out the window blankly. _'So, this kid was an insomniac too, huh? I guess he got over it. Just what was he going to say? He 'did the same thing for a few years, after his-' and then he stopped. After his what?'_

Lavi didn't press. He could see that it was a difficult thing for the kid to talk about, and he didn't want to stress him too much just after what had happened earlier. He redirected the conversation to his Jiji. They talked about random things until the sun rose, and a roar echoed throughout the room.

"What the hell was that?!" Lavi stood, clutching his hammer tightly. Allen blushed and put a hand to his stomach.

"Sorry, I guess I'm hungry. I haven't had anything to eat since the night before you three showed up." Lavi stared, dumbfounded, at the small boy.

"W-well, I guess we should g-get you some food, then! Whaddaya want?"

"Oh, just a bit of cereal…"

"No way, kid! You can have absolutely anything you want!"

"Really? Anything?"

"Anything."

"Well then, I'll have four plates of chicken and rice, two plates of stroganoff, five eggs benedict, four Belgian waffles, seventeen slices of toast…"

Lavi stared helplessly at the boy as he listed off enough food to feed an army.

* * *

**AN: I tried to make it a funny ending, I don't think it worked very well. Am I taking this too fast? I feel like it, so just tell me with that pretty button!**

**5,544 words!**


	3. Filler-ness (Sort of)

**AN: Next chappie!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own**

* * *

Kanda swung his sword around, decapitating dummies left and right. He practiced all of his skills, even the ones that were more for show and less for battle. Every dummy he saw had that stupid usagi's face on it.

Yea, he had seen the usagi and moyashi so close together. He had been coming from the training room to check up on the stupid beansprout when he saw them nose to nose. Moyashi was panting and sweating, and Kanda didn't even want to imagine what the usagi had done to his bean.

'_My bean? When the fuck did that kid become my bean?!'_ Kanda swung the sword especially hard, and watched with a smirk as the head spun high into the air before being halved again by Mugen. He hacked and chopped at the dummies until the he could see the first rays of the sun through the windows.

He finally lowered his sword, entirely out of breath, and stomped back to his room. He slammed the door shut and leaned back against it. _'Damn… what the fuck do I do?'_ He shoved his feelings down to the bottom of his stomach where they sat there like a hot coal.

His head ached terribly, and all he wanted to do was sleep. But it was seven in the morning, and he knew the baka usagi would be pounding on his door incessantly in a few short minutes. He opted to be even more rude and short-tempered than normal, and hope beyond hope that the annoying redhead would leave him alone.

Alas, that was not the case.

"Hey, Yuu! Open up, it's morning!" Kanda didn't respond. "C'mon, Yuu, I know you're in there! I'm going to get some breakfast, I'll be back when I'm done!" The knocking ceased and Kanda heard footsteps heading down the hall. The samurai sighed and fell in an undignified manner on the bed. He pulled his hair tie out and let the long locks flow down his back.

Kanda felt the sweat drip down his forehead and the back of his neck. His arm automatically came up to wipe the droplets from his skin.

A flash of white in the corner startled him into standing. There, behind the nightstand where he kept his lotus. It was the moyashi, huddled up around himself.

His head was buried in his knees, and his hands cradled his head. The kid rocked slightly back and forth, and Kanda could hear slight whimpering coming from him.

The older teen rolled his eyes and pulled the stand gently out of the way, ignoring a pang in his chest at the sight of the boy. He crouched in front of the white-haired boy.

"Che, beansprout, what the hell do you think you're doing in my room? Get out, before I kick you through the wall." Allen barely even responded. It was just a slight shake of the head, but Kanda could tell something had scared the life out of him.

"What the fuck are you doing in here then? You have ten seconds to explain before I am hauling your ass out the door."

Allen took a deep breath and lifted his head. Kanda hesitated at the puffy eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, but started counting down from ten. When he got to five, the moyashi opened his mouth.

"It's the twenty-fifth, isn't it." he stated. It wasn't even a question. Kanda blinked. What did the date have anything to do with this? He nodded, confused.

Allen took a deep breath, visibly holding back tears. "This is the day my father adopted me, eight years ago." Kanda frowned at Allen.

"And? That can't be the reason you're in my room, hiding behind my nightstand, crying like a girl. There has to be something more to it, idiot."

Allen let a few more tears slide down his face. "And it's the day he died, a few years after." Kanda cursed his luck. Of course he had to deal with the stupid moyashi when he is an emotional wreck. Or at all. That was bad enough. He sighed and put his head in his hand.

"Okay, okay. You just… sit there. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back with Lenalee. She's better with this kind of thing. Just… stay." He felt like an idiot, treating a little boy like a dog. But it worked; Allen sniffed and held his sobs back. He raised his hand slightly and wiggled the fingers as Kanda walked out the door.

The long haired teen closed the door tightly and looked around anxiously for Lenalee. He started walking up and down the halls, hoping for a glimpse of that dark green hair. Instead, he found bright red hair and a nose a mere two inches from his own.

"Hey, Yuu! Have you seen Allen anywhere? I've been looking all over for him." Kanda clenched his hands tightly, ignoring the urge to rip the damn red hair off of Lavi's head.

"Yes, I have seen that idiot. He's in my room, crying and hiding under my nightstand. Something or other about his dad happened on this day, and I don't want to deal with it. Go get him the hell out of my room and fix him."

Lavi ducked his head quickly and squirmed around Kanda, lunging for the hallway to Kanda's room. Kanda spun in place to watch as Lavi gently opened the door and slipped inside.

Lavi left the door open a crack and slowly moved towards the nightstand that Kanda talked about. He crouched down and peered underneath the furniture.

There was Allen, his white hair damp with sweat and hanging over his eyes. He sniffed loudly, and gripped his pants legs tighter. Lavi could see the white of his knuckles.

"Allen? Are you okay?" Lavi reached out to the cowering boy, but his hand was slapped away when it got near him. "Wha-?" He pulled his hand back.

"Don't come near me! Please…" He buried his face in his knees again.

Lavi emerged from Kanda's room after only a few minutes, and with no beansprout with him.

"What the hell are you doing? You were supposed to get him _out_ of there!" Kanda questioned.

Lavi frowned and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "I don't know why, but he won't talk. He just said that he wants you to go back in there." Kanda huffed, feeling drained already. He was still tired from the workout the night before, and he hadn't gotten a chance to eat. He steeled his emotions and pushed the door open again.

He closed it firmly behind him; he didn't want the baka usagi to catch even the slightest glimpse of him being kind. He turned back to Allen and tapped the nightstand with his boot.

"Dumbshit, get your fucking ass out from back there and come stand like a man," he growled harshly at the boy. Allen scrambled to free himself and stood indignantly.

"My name is Allen, BaKanda, and the proper term is 'arse'. You had better start learning a few things, otherwise your already pea-sized brain will shrivel from disuse."

Kanda grinned haughtily, though it was just a tiny twitch of the corners of his mouth. The moyashi was finally getting over himself and growing a dick. The white-haired boy wiped the last traces of tears off of his face and glared Kanda down, fury in his eyes. Kanda's smile grew.

"Whatever, Moyashi. Besides, it's not like you know much anyway; you're what, ten?" Allen's face heated, and his cheeks puffed out adorably.

"I'm fifteen, BaKanda, and I'll have you know my name is Allen! Two simple syllables that you can't seem to get your head around! And I'll have you know my father gave me a wonderful education!" Allen's face fell as he realized what he had said.

Allen's knees trembled and Kanda lunged forward to catch the boy before he fell into a heap on his nice floor.

"Whoa, easy there, Moyashi." Allen didn't even react to the unwanted nickname. His eyes brimmed with tears again, and Kanda shoved the boy's face into his own chest to muffle the noise. Or so he told himself.

Allen clung to his shirt like a child and tried to quiet the sobs that emanated from him, to no avail. Kanda gruffly smoothed the white hair comfortingly. He pushed the child off of him after a few short minutes and looked anywhere but those moon-colored eyes.

Allen sniffed and wiped his nose with a handkerchief he pulled from his shirt pocket. He blushed and glanced up at the long-haired teenager, who was currently admiring the stone walls. They sat in uncomfortable silence, broken only by the occasional sniff from Allen.

Kanda finally dared to look Allen in the eyes. He was shocked by how bright they were, though he had just been crying.

"So, Moyashi, tell me a little bit more about your father." Allen looked up at him in disbelief. Kanda nodded.

"Yea, you should talk about it. You'll be surprised at how much it helps." He pulled his hair back up into its ponytail. "Lenalee had to work pretty hard to get me to open up after I got here." Allen tilted his head questioningly. "I wasn't always in the Black Order, you know. I had a life before this. I had a nice family, an older brother and a younger sister."

He looked past Allen wistfully. "It all kinda went to hell after my brother fucked up majorly. He killed a guy in a fight. It wasn't his fault; the other guy had a knife and he was unarmed. The guy made a move on my brother and he pushed him down a flight of stairs. Broke his neck in four places." Allen's eyes widened considerably.

"The guy's friends were really pissed at my brother, and the next day they went to get revenge. They killed my brother, and the almost got my sister and me. It was pretty bad. I got knifed a few times protecting my sister. She was okay, but she was shaken up. Then again, who wouldn't be?"

Allen shrugged, even though it was a rhetorical question. Kanda pulled Mugen, in its sheathe, off of his back, and tossed it up on the bed carelessly. He turned back to Allen and leaned back on his elbows. "Now you tell me about what's eating at you."

Allen stared at him. "Why? I don't want to tell you!"

"Then why did you tell usagi that you wanted _me_ to come back?" He looked pointedly at Allen. "I don't care what you say; you're going to get this off of your chest. And don't even try to avoid it. It won't work."

The younger teen sighed and fell backwards, head hitting the floor gently. "Alright. I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell Lenalee or Lavi."

"Fine, beansprout. Gimme a second." He scrambled to his feet and opened the door quickly, revealing a sheepish Lavi. "Hey, Usagi, get the hell out of here before I run you through with Mugen."

Lavi nodded quickly and ran away on all fours, not even taking the time to get to his feet. Kanda shut the door again and sat down on the edge of the bed. He grudgingly patted the bedspread next to him. "Come on, come on, I don't have all day."

Allen hurried to his side. He sat down gingerly on the bed and put his head in his hands. "Ugh, it gives me a headache just thinking about it. Do I really have to talk about it?" Kanda was almost convinced that it was a bad idea with the puppy dog face Allen gave him, but held his ground. He nodded.

Allen's face fell. "Alright. Where do I start?"

"Wherever the story started. Or even a little bit earlier, for a bit of a backstory."

Allen snorted bitterly. "Jeez, better go grab a drink and some popcorn; this is gonna be a long story." Kanda shook his head. "Alright, then, settle in and I'll start.

"My parents abandoned me at birth because of this arm. They thought it was the sign of the devil, and didn't want anything to do with me. They left me literally in the trash, until some nice lady from an orphanage came along and found me. She didn't notice my arm until she got me to the building; otherwise I would have died that night. The head of the orphanage forced her to take care of me, and I was there for a couple of years. They all called me Red, because of my arm. Once I was four, they kicked me out. I wandered the streets and learned how to pickpocket. That's how I stayed alive for the next two years. Then people got smarter about their pockets, and my one source of income went down the drain. I went hungry most nights, and when I had food it was moldy, rotten trash that even the rats wouldn't eat. I had to fight off rabid dogs every day to get that damn food. I… sold myself when it got really bad."

He had his knees tucked up to his chin, and his eyes were wide with fear of these memories. Kanda put a hesitant hand on his shoulder. Allen took a deep, shaky breath and continued.

"I found work at a circus. I didn't actually have an act; I was the cleanup boy. There was one clown, Cosimo, who hated me with all his being. I never found out why. He would always beat me for nothing, and I slept on the ground outside the tents. There was no pay for a kid like me, but they did give me a meal every now and again. I was there for the better part of a year before Mana Walker came in. One day, there was a new clown who could do everything and anything, and he did it much better than Cosimo or any of the others. He had a little dog with him that helped him with all of his stunts. Cosimo couldn't risk trying anything on Mana, for fear of losing business and money. Instead, he beat me especially hard when Mana had shown him up in practice or performance. There wasn't really a night when I didn't have new bruises everywhere."

Allen got a wistful look in his eyes. "One day, Cosimo got really pissed after a performance, and he wasn't satisfied with just hurting _me_. Instead, he went for Mana's little dog. That man beat Allen to death, and over something so trivial."

Kanda was confused. "Hold on, he beat you to death?"

"No, Allen was the dog's name. Mana called me that when he adopted me." Kanda shook his head in disbelief. This kid was named after a dog!

"Anyway, I came across Mana while he was burying Allen. He had this cute little ball that he put on top of the grave, as a marker. Allen was all bruised, and I could tell he had some broken bones. Mana and I talked for a while, and I asked if Cosimo had killed Allen. He didn't respond, but he asked if Cosimo had hurt me, too, since I had a bunch of new bruises. He was already acting like the father I never had. In the end, _I_ was crying for Allen, instead of him. He said his tears had dried up, that he couldn't cry anymore. After that, Mana left the circus to find a new one. He took me with him after he saw what Cosimo did to me every day. We traveled for a while, and he taught me all about being a clown and a gentleman. I learned all sorts of tricks, like juggling and walking on my hands. He always told me to keep walking, never stop.

"When Mana adopted me, he made my birthday Christmas 'coz that's the day he found me. One Christmas, we were in a little town for a performance with a circus we had just found. After the show, we were walking back to our little place where we stayed. I was running ahead of Mana, partway into the street. I was just so happy with our part of the circus; I finally did a really hard trick the right way. I ran out into the street, without noticing a carriage that was coming right for me. All I remember is shouts, then I got shoved face-first onto the pavement. I heard a big crash, and I looked around for Mana. It turns out he pushed me out of the way of the carriage and got hit by it himself. He was in really bad shape; there was blood everywhere. People called for a physician, but none could get there fast enough. Mana died in my arms."

Allen bent over and put his chin on his knees, which were tucked up to his chest. His eyes brimmed with tears. "I couldn't live without him. I went to his grave and sat there day in and day out; I didn't even try to find food. After a week or so, I was basically dead. That night, a man showed up. He was a fat man with a weird top hat and big, pointy ears. Said he was the Millenium Earl." Kanda drew a sharp breath. This kid met the Earl? "He told me that he could bring Mana back, that all I had to do was call out his name. I-I did. I wanted him back so badly, and I couldn't take it. The Earl had a skeleton thing with him, and it started shaking and moving. After a minute of that, Mana's voice started coming from it. I was so happy, I went to hug him. But Mana took the blade on his forearm and sliced it down my face. That's how I got this."

He lifted his bangs away from the scar on his face. Kanda had a good view of the bright red pentacle on top for the first time.

"Mana cursed me. I used to have brown hair, you know. After Mana's curse, it turned white." He fingered the white locks, twisting them around his fingers. "I take it you've seen my arm?"

Kanda nodded. "Alright then. That night, my arm… transformed. It changed into this big white _thing_ with pointy ends on my fingers. It started moving all on its own, moving like a snake across the ground. It headed straight for Mana. I tried to stop it, but I couldn't make it do anything. It killed Mana. The last thing he said to me was 'I love you Allen. Now kill me.'" He looked up at Kanda desperately. "I killed my own father!"

Kanda put his hand on top of Allen's head and ruffled the white, feathery hair. "It's not your fault. The Millenium Earl, he's a terrible being who takes advantage of people's darkest, innermost emotions and makes weapons with them. That thing that Mana turned into, that was an akuma." He stood from the bed. "That's what we exorcists take care of. We kill akuma before they kill innocents. We use Innocence to do this; it's the only way to save the souls inside akuma."

Allen choked down a sob. "I can see those souls. I can see how tormented they are. That was Mana's curse. Now I can see all the suffering in the world."

Kanda's eyes widened. "You can see the souls inside akuma?" Allen nodded. Kanda stored this bit of information to report to Komui later. "What happened after Mana died? How'd you get to that town?"

The younger teen sniffed again. "After my arm killed Mana, the Earl left really fast. I just sat on Mana's grave for the rest of the night. At dawn, another man came up and explained everything. He asked if I wanted to be an exorcist, but I turned him down. He got really pissed and pulled out a giant hammer. He knocked me out with it, and the next thing I knew, he kidnapped me and made me his apprentice." Allen's aura changed into a darker, scarier one, and Allen seemed to grow horns.

"I learned a lot of stuff from Master; he taught me how to gamble and play poker and make money in a pinch. It was pretty useful, since there were a lot of debt collectors out looking for him. He would toss me to them, and I would have to find a way to pay them off or escape from them within the night. After a while, I started getting odd jobs from the people in towns. I would pay Master beforehand, so that he wouldn't rack up so much debt every night. That way, I would get a chance to sleep." The horns shrunk back into his head.

"Master didn't teach me anything about akuma or being an exorcist, though. After two years with him, he dumped me at that awful town. The people let me stay with them for a while, until they found out about my arm. Then they kicked me out, and I started living in that old hut. I found it in a lot worse condition than it is now, and I fixed it up myself. Every time I would go into town, those men Lavi saw would beat the living shit out of me. I would have stopped them, but that was where I _lived_. I couldn't give them another reason to hate me. If I had defended myself, they would have been more offensive and done more than just reactive actions. They probably would have killed me one of those times, instead of just hurting me. But that way, they could prolong my 'punishment'."

Kanda felt a surge of anger at these men. "How badly did they hurt you?"

"Not normally as bad as that last time, but it was always bad." Allen's hands drifted to his shirt and clenched it tightly. Kanda saw, rather than felt, his hand moving towards the boy's collar. It started to undo the buttons, slowly and methodically. Allen didn't react but to move his hand away. Kanda reached the last button and paused.

'_What the fuck am I doing? Am I really planning on seeing the beansprout without a fucking shirt on?!'_ He shook his head and decided that it was for a reason other than screwing the bean so hard he couldn't walk.

He popped the last button off and pulled the edges of the shirt wide, revealing all of the scars on the bean's torso. There were hundreds of them, all jagged at the edges. Some were very old, faded to white, and others were only a few months old. Then there were the ones from three days ago. Those were still dark red and puffy. Kanda gently ran the tip of his fingernail over the dried blood of one, brushing the edge of the shock burn that was there.

Allen shuddered at the contact. Kanda's touch sent small shivers up his spine, and left a trail of heat. He pulled the shirt off of his shoulders and let it fall from his arms, pooling around his bottom and legs. Kanda froze at the sight of his back. It was a mess of old whipping scars and newer blade marks. Allen's bottom lip quivered as Kanda removed his hand from the boy's chest and stared.

"All this… is from those men?" Allen shook his head.

"They mostly came from my years on the streets. The whipping scars are from Cosimo and the people who found me pickpocketing. There are some from the orphanage; the kids would throw rocks and shards of glass at me. There are a couple accidental ones, like when Mana was showing me tricks and I would fall onto rocks."

He fingered his right upper arm, where small scars ran from his shoulder to his elbow. They looked like cuts from glass, and were white with age.

"These are from the time I pissed off the Sister in charge of me and she threw me out of the third story window. I hit the glass on this side and a tree broke my fall."

Kanda couldn't believe the life this kid had. Had there ever been anyone to really take care of him? Mana didn't sound like the most responsible person, and the master he had sure didn't take care of anyone, even if he did know about exorcists. Allen put his shirt back on.

"What was your master's name?"

Allen smiled grimly. "His name is Cross Marian. He had a different exorcists uniform than anyone else here; it had gold instead of silver trimmings."

Kanda furrowed his brow. Was Beansprout talking about _General Cross Marian_? The general that had disappeared off of the face of the earth, who no one could contact? That Cross Marian?

"What did he look like?" he asked urgently.

"Well, he had long red hair, he wore a mask over the right side of his face, and he had wire-rimmed spectacles." Kanda nodded, picturing the man. "He was 195 centimeters tall, and 82 kilograms. Oh," he exclaimed. "And he had this golem, Timcanpy!" He pulled off his boot and tipped it over. A small golden golem came tumbling out, into the palm of Allen's hand.

It shook itself off, using its wing to brush off a bit of dust from cottony bulge in its tail, then took to the air and clamped its mouth down on Allen's nose.

"OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW! YOU'VEMADEYOURPOINTTIMNOWLEMMEGO!" The golem released Allen from its deadly jaws and settled into the snowy white locks on top of his head. Allen held his bleeding nose in his hand.

Kanda sighed. This was most definitely General Cross Marian's golem. "Alright, beansprout. We've got some news for Komui."

Allen's eyes widened, alarmed. "What news? You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"And I won't; but you being General Cross's apprentice has to be reported. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"A bar, a whorehouse, or passed out in an alley," Allen grumbled to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking to myself. No, I don't know where he is. The last time I saw him, he left me at that town, and that was over a year ago. He could be anywhere in the world now, practically."

Kanda stood up, stoic expression back in place. "Whatever, we have his golem now, too. We should still tell Komui." He reached down for Allen's hand and pulled the boy up to his feet. "Wipe your face off and let's get going."

Allen nodded and took off for the tiny bathroom in the back of the room. He splashed water from the sink onto his puffy face, relishing the coolness of it. His skin still burned where Kanda had trailed his fingers. He grabbed a towel and roughly wiped his face. He joined Kanda back in the bedroom and the older latched onto his wrist.

Kanda started dragging the moyashi through the halls of the Black Order, twisting and turning enough to make Allen dizzy. Somehow, they managed to find the office and stopped suddenly. Kanda released Allen from his grasp and stepped forward, hand on the knob. However, he didn't get a chance to open it, as it was pulled off of its hinges by a gigantic robot with a beret.

"HAHAHAHAHA! KOMURIN THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH HAS ARRIVED!" came a shout from inside. Allen sweatdropped and paled at the sight. It was enormous; at least twelve times his own height (which really wasn't saying much). He was ready to run for the hills, when the thing locked its sights on him.

"EXORCIST DETECTED! MUST REPAIR INNOCENCE!" Several sharp and pointy objects emerged from the robot. Allen paled further and took off like a shot down the hallway, bypassing Kanda.

He took several turns at random, finding he couldn't shake the robot. He eventually came to a dead end. _'Oh, shit,'_ he thought. _'I'm dead!'_ He turned to face the robot and activated his Innocence, with difficulty. Allen gulped as the monster approached.

The robot started to reach out with pinching claws to grab him, and Allen moved backwards, towards the wall. The monster lunged, and Allen parried the metal attachments. He felt his back hit the solid wall.

Komurin XXCVII loosed several more pairs of pincers towards the boy. Allen braced himself for impact and squeezed his eyes shut, but nothing happened. He cracked one eye open and looked around. He saw Kanda right in front of him, standing over a pile of discombobulated machinery with a white beret.

"You okay there, beansprout?" Allen nodded. He moved forward, hiding behind the samurai, to get a better look at Komurin. It sparked and Allen hid his face in the back of Kanda's exorcist coat.

"Come on, I've got to go teach that idiot scientist a lesson." Kanda grumbled and stalked off. Allen quickly followed behind him. They arrived at the doors to Komui's office yet again and Kanda shoved the door open. Komui was asleep behind his desk, his face buried under the many stacks of paper on top.

Papers and important-looking documents carpeted the floor, so much that they had to step _up_ to get into the room.

"Komui! What the hell did you make another robot for? That thing almost killed Moyashi!" Allen was touched by the small amount of concern. "Do you know how hard it would be to find General Cross is this idiot died?!"

'_Never mind…'_ he thought.

Komui blinked out of his sleep and sat up, yawning widely and reaching for his coffee. "What about General Cross?"

"Moyashi here was his apprentice for a while. He has his golem and everything. We might be able to locate him with it."

Komui thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I believe General Cross' golem has a tracking device to find the General. It's worth a shot." He glanced down at Allen. "Hello there, I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Komui, I'm the supervisor of this branch of the Black Order."

Allen held out his hand to Komui. "I'm Allen Walker, it's nice to meet you."

"I think there is someone here you should meet. Follow me, I'll take you to her."

* * *

**AN: Ba Ba BUUUUMMMM! Who could it be? Kanda's so sweet in this one! D'AAWWWW! Please review!**

**5,085 words**


	4. Extreme Fluffiness!

**AN: SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! I was sick for a while, then my family went to Nebraska to meet up with my dad. Then- *gets hit in the face by rotten tomato* Okay, yeah, it doesn't matter, I'm here now. This one is going to be _extremely_ OOC for a lot of the characters, including Hevlaska (I think), Jerry, Komui, and Kanda. I'm not sure on Hevvie, cuz' I've only seen her a few times on screen. Thanks for sticking around with me for the first few chapters, guys! For one of my anonymous requests for romance, I decided that this one would be mainly fluff. And I added a little LaviLena as a side pairing.**

**Thanks to all of my reviewers and readers, especially SisBloodCarnivalOtaku. Your reviews make me laugh every time!**

**And kudos to Hanashi o suru for being the first to guess who Allen was meeting. (It's Hevlaska, for you out there who didn't know)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

**ON WITH THE SHOW!**

* * *

Allen walked two steps behind Komui as the scientist led him down a maze of hallways. They came to a large door with intricate designs engraved in the wood. Komui pushed firmly against the door and it creaked open ominously.

Allen peeked into the adjacent room. The shadows concealed most everything. All he could make out with the meager light was a square of metal. Railings sprung from the sides, and a small rectangular box rose to about chest height. It tilted away from him, and he couldn't make out any details beyond that. Komui's glasses glinted devilishly as he tilted his head.

'_Oh, god, what did I get myself into?'_ The boy though anxiously.

"Ahem. Are we gonna just stand here like pussies afraid of the dark, or are we gonna get on with this?" Kanda demanded from behind the two. The spectacled man chuckled and strode inside. Allen hesitated, only to be pushed forward by Kanda.

"Che. Scaredy neko." Allen grumbled to himself and walked forward reluctantly. Kanda followed. They walked up to the metal square. Komui stood on top of it, one hand resting on the railing.

"Hey, come on up you two!" Allen walked around the thing, looking for a place to mount, when his foot hit an edge and he stumbled. A loose tile, dislodged by his foot, was sent over the edge and plummeted downwards. He cried out in fear and wrapped his arms tightly around the metal bars.

Komui glanced over. "Oops, watch your step!"

_**Thunk!**_

The tile's collision echoed up after a long eight seconds. Allen sweatdropped and looked at Komui. The purple-haired man tipped his head slightly and looked at him questioningly.

"How deep is this?" Allen's voice trembled as he spoke.

Biting his fingernail, Komui thought hard. "I don't actually know. It might be to the center of the earth for all we know, truthfully. But of course, that's impossible," he added at Allen's incredulous look. "We would be able to see the light from the lava at the center of the earth, and feel the heat. And we would be burned alive by the time we got to where we are going."

Allen was not comforted.

Kanda reached over the railing and snatched Allen's collar. With little effort, he lifted the boy from his precarious situation and into his own strong arms.

"Wha- hey, Kanda! Put me down!" Allen struggled slightly as the bluenette cradled him like a child. Kanda smirked at him.

"And why should I do that, Moyashi?" Allen growled at the nickname. He shoved harder at Kanda's chest, knocking himself out of the firm grasp and onto the metal ground. His head clanked against the hard surface.

"Ooowww…"

Komui looked down disinterestedly. "Are you two finished? I don't suggest you keep Hevlaska waiting; she's a very important…person."

"Yeah Moyashi, for once I agree with the idiot. Hurry up so we can get this over with."

Komui nodded in agreement. "Wait, who are you calling an idiot?" He cried out. Allen scrambled to his feet and Komui hunched over the boxy rectangle, which Allen could now see had multiple buttons and joysticks protruding from it. The mad scientist gleefully laughed, one hand poised over a large red button. His spectacles glinted, obscuring his eyes, and Allen got the sudden feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Komui smashed his hand down on the button, and the platform was thrown into action. It plummeted downward, faster than if it were free-falling. Komui put his hands in the air like a child on a rollercoaster, and Kanda stood indifferently as the machine sparked dangerously. Allen, on the other hand, was huddled in the corner of the platform, hugging the railings like they were a lifeline.

Komui cackled and pressed more buttons, eventually slowing the monstrosity to a stop. Allen immediately stood and tottered off of it, falling to his knees and emptying his stomach of its contents.

The other two calmly exited the machine and stood by as Allen heaved. Kanda felt a slight urge to help, but was deterred by the terrible sounds the younger boy was making. The two men waited a moment for Allen to compose himself.

Wiping his mouth, he stood and the three started walking towards another huge abyss. Allen couldn't see the other side of the chasm; the light barely shone at all here. There was a faint glow emitting from the depths, though. Allen wondered at the light.

A strange, glowing creature rose up from the abyss, snakelike tentacles waving about. Instead of eyes, there were projections layered over its forehead. Below a small nose was a dark, feminine mouth. The thing towered high above the three people.

"Whoa." The whitette said pathetically. He gasped as one tentacle reached out towards him. It wrapped itself around his waist and lifted him high into the air. Allen didn't struggle, as one would think natural. Instead, he relaxed into the hold.

"Hello, Allen Walker. My name is Hevlaska." The monster said in a decidedly female voice. Komui chuckled slightly as he explained.

"Hevlaska is an exorcist, just like you or Kanda. Except her job isn't to fight akuma, it's to keep the Innocence safe. She's just going to check your synchronization levels with your Innocence."

Hevlaska brought him closer to her massive forehead, touching his gently. A bright light emitted from the point of contact, and Allen let out a small gasp.

Kanda watched with slight apprehension as the light faded out and Hevlaska hadn't said any sync ratings. The large being pulled away from Allen in shock. She moved Allen quickly but carefully back down to the ground.

The boy stepped out of her hold and looked up at her, confused. Komui mimicked him, asking, "What's wrong? What's his sync level?"

Hevlaska bit her lip and hesitated. "Komui… this boy doesn't have a sync rate." The beret-wearing Supervisor inhaled sharply.

"What do you mean 'he doesn't have a sync rate'? He's got Innocence; he's got to have a rate!"

"I meant what I said; there is no synchronization rate for Allen Walker. It's like his Innocence doesn't even exist," she said wonderingly, "but it's right there in his arm."

Komui put his chin in his hand and hummed. Allen shifted back to Kanda's side and took the taller male's hand in his. He felt his companion stiffen for a moment before squeezing his fingers gently. Allen smiled.

"So, baka scientist, what do you think happened? Can the kid be an exorcist?" Kanda prodded.

"I'm not sure. Do we even know if he can invoke? If he can't, he wouldn't be much help in a fight. He would be more like dead weight." Allen cringed at the thought of being dead weight and hung his head slightly. Kanda noticed this and nearly decapitated the beret-wearing idiot. Komui caught his slip-up and quickly attempted to correct himself.

"Not that you would ever be dead weight, I was just speaking hypothetically, like if you couldn't invoke!" He stopped for a moment. "You can invoke, right?" Allen thought for a moment, then nodded.

"You mean I can make my arm change, right? Yeah, I can do that. But," he added as an afterthought, "Is it supposed to hurt?"

Komui frowned at the boy. "What do you mean, it hurts? When you invoke?" Allen nodded.

"It's like a bajillion hot pokers stuck in my skin. It's mostly bearable, but I didn't think that was natural." Komui shook his head.

"No, it's not. I'm going to run a few experiments on your Innocence, if that's all right with you?"

Allen nodded eagerly. "Yeah, of course! Anything to help me become an exorcist!" Kanda looked on disbelievingly as the three retraced their path to the main hallway. Allen was bouncing on the balls of his feet, nearly pushing the scientist back to his office in his haste.

'_I wonder if he knows what he's getting himself into, becoming a weapon of God.'_ Kanda thought as the three arrived at the imposing doorway.

"Alright, Kanda, I think you should go back to your room now. I don't want there to be any distractions while I am running these experiments."

Kanda opened his mouth to argue, but saw the no-nonsense look on the scientist's face. It was one of the rare moments when he was deadly serious.

"Che. Whatever, do what you want. I'm going to take a nap." He stalked off, turning around the corner and out of sight.

Komui smiled down at Allen, who was wistfully staring at the spot Kanda disappeared from. The whitette sighed and smiled politely as the older man escorted him through the large doors to his office.

Komui led him over to a silver examining table, motioning for him to sit down on it. Allen heaved his small body off of the floor and on top of the uncomfortable surface. The spectacled man waded through some of the mounds of paperwork on the floor and reached for a gigantic drill hung on the wall behind his desk.

Apprehensively, Allen cleared his throat. Once he had the other's attention, he started to speak. "What kind of experiments are you going to do, exactly? That doesn't look like a very scientific tool."

An evil glint across Komui's glasses obscured his eyes from sight. "Why, of course it's a scientific tool! What person doesn't own a scientific drill that can puncture titanium and make its way through three feet of solid steel in five minutes?"

_Gulp_

"Besides, it's only to open up your Innocence arm so that I can dig around with some of my smaller tools…" He pointed to an array of small scalpels and lethal-looking knives. Next to these were several syringes with extra-long needles.

Allen felt the blood drain out of his face, and his breath hitched in his throat. Komui brandished the drill, which was spinning rapidly. His mouth twitched up into a sadistic smile.

Kanda heard the screams from Allen long before he made it to his room. He scowled at the finders who raised their heads at the sudden commotion. "What the hell are you looking at?! Get outta here, before I introduce you to Mugen." His hand drifted towards the hilt of his sword, but the finders were already long gone.

* * *

"Finally, some peace and quiet." He continued walking until he found himself at the entrance to the cafeteria. _'Well, might as well have some food before hitting the hay.'_

He walked into the room, vaulted ceilings making every step echo louder in the large room. The fancy windows cast different colored patterns onto the tables, making everything sort of shimmery. Kanda strode over to the small window, where Jerry leaned over the countertop to look him in the eyes.

"So, who's that new kid I've been hearing about? I can't help but overhear that he was in pretty bad shape when he got here!" The dark-skinned man flicked his purple braids over his shoulder, waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Che, he's just some kid with Innocence. Nothing special about him." Kanda felt somewhat guilty about saying this, but he knew that if Jerry knew the half of what had actually happened to Allen, he would be too busy sobbing to make his soba.

The enthusiastic chef was done with Kanda's order and pushing it into his hands before Kanda could count to ten.

"I made a little extra this time, since I noticed you just got back from a mission a while ago. You haven't been down here since then, and I figured you were especially hungry! Bye-bye, Kanda!" Jerry called out in his sing-songy voice as Kanda walked away. The blue-haired man smirked on the inside, not revealing any emotion on his face.

'_That idiot is pretty damn observant, isn't he? Plus, he makes the best soba in Europe.'_

Kanda sat down at an empty table, ignoring the snippets of conversation floating around him. No one dared to sit next to him, for they all knew about his volatile temper and skill with a sword. He didn't mind. In fact, he appreciated the silence.

He broke his chopsticks apart, muttering a quick 'Itadakimasu' before digging in.

After he finished his meal, Kanda dumped his empty plate in the pile and left the room. He made his way to his room, pushing open the door.

There, lying on _his_ bed, in _his _room, was that idiot beansprout. The fool was snoring lightly, wrapped up in the dark comforter and drooling slightly on _his_ pillow. And it was possibly the cutest thing Kanda had ever seen.

"Che, you idiot." He moved to stand over the boy and gently wiped the drool from his chin. "Oh man, I can't believe I'm actually doing this." Kanda scooted the boy over to the far side of the bed and started to disrobe. First came the sword, which he placed against the wall. Then the jacket. Next, he unwrapped the bandages from around his chest. He sat on the edge of the bed to unlace his shoes and pulled them off smoothly.

Left in only his pants, Kanda turned back to the boy in his bed. He lifted the covers high enough to climb in underneath them, watching with genuine interest as gooseflesh erupted all along Allen's arms and stomach. The boy's hand rested lax against the smooth skin of his chest, and the other was shoved under the pillow.

Kanda clambered into his bed, avoiding contact with the kid. After a few minutes, when Allen rolled over and pulled the majority of the blankets to the other side, he gave in.

Kanda slid over to Allen's half of the bed and gently rolled the boy over. He nearly gasped at how cold his skin was. The bluenette sighed as he pulled Allen into a somewhat spooning position. Allen cuddled himself into the source of warmth that heated his body so well, nuzzling his face into Kanda's arm.

The older's eyes widened marginally as Allen moved closer into his chest, and wrapped his strong arms firmly around the chilled boy. He drifted off to sleep, holding Allen closer than anyone had gotten in a long time.

* * *

The sun peeked over the windowsill, shining brightly into Kanda's eyes. He blinked, ducking his head out of the path of the light. He found himself nose-to-nose with an awakened Allen. They stared at each other from this close proximity for a long minute, before Allen glanced away.

Kanda noticed how foggy the whitette's gaze was, and tilted his companion's chin up. Allen was forced to look Kanda in the eyes again, allowing the older to get a better view of the moony orbs.

"Are you feeling okay? You don't look too well," he murmured gently. Allen shook his head.

"I'm fine, thank you." Allen pushed firmly against Kanda's chest, trying to free himself, to no avail. Kanda only tightened his grip, pinning Allen's arms.

"Hold on, let me check." He leaned his head forward, touching Allen's forehead with his own. "Jeezus, you are absolutely not fine! You're burning up!" he said exasperatedly "What the hell did Komui do to you yesterday?" Allen's brow furrowed, like he was thinking hard.

"Um, he used a big drill thingy and a lot of needles. He was looking for a defect in my Innocence, I think." Kanda sighed and stood, pulling his exorcist jacket on over his bare chest. He didn't bother with the bandages, leaving them in a pile on the floor, as he bundled Allen into his arms.

"He-hey, what are you doing? Put me down!" Kanda shook his head.

"No way, Beansprout. I'm taking you to the infirmary to find out what the hell that idiot scientist did to you, and then I'm gonna go rip his head off." Allen nodded absently before slipping off to sleep again.

Kanda managed to open the door and slip undetected into the empty hallway. He started walking slowly down the hallway to the infirmary, keeping his strides even, so as to not disturb Allen too much.

He came across Lenalee just as he was reaching the door he wanted. She rushed forward to open the door for him, not recognizing exactly _what _he was carrying. She smiled politely before spotting the head of white hair peeking out of the crook of Kanda's arm.

"Oh my goodness, Allen! Is he alright? What's wrong with him?" She asked frantically. Kanda pushed his way through the entrance before answering.

"I…found him this morning in the halls." _'I can't tell her we slept in the same bed, she'll have a heyday.'_

"He has a major fever, and he doesn't stay awake for very long at a time. I know your brother ran some tests on him yesterday, I figure that's what caused this. A bad reaction, maybe." Lenalee nodded.

"I'm gonna go have a little _chat_ with Nii-san; you don't have to worry about it." She said, anticipating his intentions. The girl left, green pigtails bouncing angrily.

Kanda got the attention of a nurse doing morning rounds, and set Allen down on a white hospital bed. The white sheets crinkled under his slight weight, making Kanda cringe. He took one final look at the scarred form in front of him before turning on his heel and marching out of the room.

Ugh, he couldn't stand sick people. Always begging for help, spreading their nasty germs everywhere and sneezing and coughing all day long. They were the epitome of helplessness, something Kanda wanted to avoid at all costs. He went back to his room, snatching Mugen from where it rested against the wall. He slung the strap over his shoulders, and left once more.

He started towards the training hall, then thought better of it. He instead turned towards the cafeteria, where he knew the Baka Usagi would be at this time. He was in the mood for some rabbit stew.

Kanda didn't even make it to the cafeteria doors before he could both see and hear the Usagi bounding towards him, arms outstretched and crocodile tears comically streaming down his face. An instant before long arms wrapped themselves around Kanda, the samurai unsheathed his katana and shoved the tip into Lavi's face.

"Don't come any closer if you want to keep your carrot top in place." Lavi held up his hands in a non-threatening manner and stepped back.

"Sorry, Yuu! But what do you have against physical contact? It's a part of life essential to proper emotional development," he said slyly. "Which you have obviously not had enough of."

Kanda ground his teeth. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. "Shut the fuck up. I'm not in the mood to deal with idiots today."

Lavi immediately sobered. "Is it about Allen? Lenalee told me he wasn't in such good shape this morning." He sighed, leaning against the wall. Kanda blinked, somewhat confused. The attitude change had seemingly aged Lavi ten years. Lines appeared in his young face and his eyes darkened, gaining an experienced look.

Kanda forced his face back into neutrality, saying, "Che, that idiot is fine. He's just a wimp who can't take a fever."

The redhead looked up, pushing himself off of the wall, anger flashing in his eyes. "Lenalee also said that when she went back to check up on Allen a few minutes ago, that the nurse said he had a temperature of 103.4. People can die with a temp like that!"

Kanda stared at the teen. "Y-you're kidding! There's no way he was that warm when I woke up, and that was just an hour ago! How could his fever go up so much in such a short time?!"

Lavi started to answer. "I don't know, bu- wait, did you say 'when you woke up'? What do you mean by that?" Kanda felt his face flush as Lavi wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "What did you do to the bean last night?"

"Nothing! I didn't do anything to him; he was sleeping in my bed when I found him!"

Lavi 'ooh'ed quietly. "So, what did you do when you found him?"

"I moved him over and I slept in my bed. If I find out you told a soul about this, you might just not wake up one morning." Kanda glowered at the rabbit in front of him, who was smothering his chortles with a hand.

Lavi composed himself, the amused twinkle back in his aura. "Cross my heart and hope to die, Yuu." He tilted his head as Kanda didn't react to his given name. "Yuu? What's wrong?"

Kanda shook his head. "I'm actually _worried_ about that little idiot. I don't know what he did to get himself so sick. And what if his heart thingamajigger acts up while he's got a fever like that?" The teen sighed and plopped his head in his hands. "I just don't want him to die, that's all."

Lavi stared in awe as the stoic samurai finally opened up to him. He resisted the urge to do a happy dance, and equipped himself with a more solemn demeanor. "Don't act this way, Kanda. It doesn't suit you. You know that Allen's made of tougher stuff than this illness, whatever it is, can knock down. He's gonna pull through, mark my words. And have a little faith, you jackass," he said jokingly. "Allen wouldn't like to see anybody this down for him, especially not you." Kanda looked up questioningly. Lavi grinned back at him. "I can tell already, that kid loves you."

Lavi turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Kanda to sift through his feelings at the sudden revelation. The long-haired male sighed heavily.

'_What's with all the sighing lately? It's like ever since I met Beansprout, I can't go ten minutes without doing that!'_ Kanda shook his head and went through the doors to the cafeteria. He walked up to Jerry's window glumly, eliciting an 'aawww…' from the purple-haired chef.

"What's with the long face, Kanda? It's not a very good look on you, ya know. You should go back to glaring, you wear it better."

Kanda gave Jerry a halfhearted scowl, glancing up at him. He pushed his shoulders back and stood straighter, brushing strands of blue hair from his ponytail back into their rightful positions. While his overall demeanor was back to normal, he still couldn't bring himself to yell at anyone.

"Just give me something for a sick person," he huffed. "Chicken broth is good for that, right?"

Jerry nodded sympathetically. "So, who's the poor soul who got sick in the middle of spring?" Kanda let his shoulders slump slightly.

"That new kid you were asking about earlier, Allen. I don't know what's wrong with him, but he has a really high fever." Jerry put a hand to his chin and leaned out of the window to lock gazes with the grumpy teen.

"This Allen, I haven't met him yet. What can you tell me about him?" Kanda chuckled darkly.

"Let me put it this way. He told me his life story, then made me promise not to tell anyone the bad parts. So I can't breathe a word of it to anyone without breaking that promise." Kanda thought for a moment. "No, I can't really say anything about him; it's not my business to tell. But Lavi said that he loves me."

Jerry gasped quickly, hand flying to his mouth. "Oh, dear! May I ask a question?" Kanda nodded absently. "Alright then dear, do you love him back?"

Kanda immediately stared at the charismatic man. "What do you mean, do I love him? What kind of question is that, I've only known the kid for four days!" Jerry smiled knowingly.

"Kanda, if you love somebody, it doesn't matter how long you've known them. It could be love at first sight, for all it matters! I'm just asking if you have feelings for Allen as well."

The teenager thought for a long moment before his eyes softened slightly. "Yes, I think I do have feelings for him. I'm not sure what they are exactly, but they're there!" He was beginning to get a bit excited. "Ahem, Jerry?"

"Yes?" Kanda looked pointedly at the bowl of broth in Jerry's hands that appeared sometime during their conversation.

"I think the broth is getting cold."

"OH MY GOODNESS I AM SO SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN TO I SWEAR!"

* * *

Allen woke in a hazy fog. His brain was muddled, and the only thing he knew was that there was a soft pressure on his right, human hand. He was hot and cold at the same time, and his muscles ached with every movement. He forced his eyelids open.

Immediately, he heard excited voices. One was definitely Lenalee; he could see her blurry green pigtails flying around her form as she turned to someone out of his sight.

Allen tried to push himself into a sitting position, but a multitude of hands kept his back firmly against the sheets. He fought them for a moment, but let exhaustion overtake his muscles. He felt a cool hand against his forehead and cringed away from the chill.

"Allen, you shouldn't sleep yet. Your fever still hasn't broken." Allen automatically turned his heat towards the male voice. _'Kanda? No, that was way too high to be Kanda. Lavi, Maybe?'_

"Wh…where's…Kanda?" He forced out. Almost before he said it, footsteps clattered across the room and Allen felt hot breath on his cheek.

"I'm right here, Beansprout." Allen faced the source of the voice and smiled weakly.

"So, why are you here? I expected you to be yelling at some poor finder or trying to chop off Lavi's head." He chuckled a little. Kanda grimaced.

"No, I'm staying right here by you. No worries." He slid his arm under Allen's shoulders and helped him to sit up somewhat. "Here, you need something to eat. I got you some broth." He grabbed a bowl from the bedside table. Allen could see faint wisps of steam rising from the liquid inside it.

"M'kay." Allen opened his mouth just enough for Kanda to slip the lip of the bowl between his teeth.

Lenalee smiled at the sight of Kanda being so protective and crept backwards slowly, trying not to draw attention to her. Reaching the door, she exited as quickly as she could manage. She turned to go back to her room and ran headlong into Lavi.

"Woah! Sorry there, Lenalady! You alright?" The redhead caught her arms, keeping her upright.

"Yea, I'm alright. Sorry, that was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going." She grinned sheepishly. Lavi smiled over his shoulder as he passed her, walking to the infirmary door.

"No problem, Lena! I'm just gonna pop in on Allen-chan quick before I leave for my next mission." Lenalee shook her head alarmed.

"Don't go in there!"

Lavi stopped, confused. "What, why not?" Lenalee blushed.

"Um…Kanda is sorta…getting a little bit mushy with Allen. I don't think he'd take too lightly to you interrupting him in the middle of this." Lavi snorted.

"Hah! That's a good one! Kanda, getting _mushy_? Oh, man, you really have a sense of humor today, doncha?!" Lavi laughed, holding his stomach. Lenalee clenched her fists, anger growing as Lavi laughed at her.

"You stupid idiot!" She hissed. "Keep your voice down, you're going to interrupt them! I'm being serious, now we should leave!"

Lavi stopped laughing abruptly. "Jeez, you're actually serious." He put his hands behind his head. "Alright, I guess we should get outta here, huh?"

Lenalee smiled at his lax position. "Yea, let's go grab some grub before you leave on that mission of yours." They started walking down the hallway, and Lavi tentatively put his arm around her waist, keeping his hand well out of the danger zones. She, in turn, latched firmly onto his upper arm, going so far as to rest her head against his shoulder.

* * *

When Allen had finally finished the last of the broth, Kanda kept the boy propped up against him, partially sitting on the hospital bedside. Allen's eyes drooped sleepily and he pressed his face into the crook of Kanda's neck, where the muscles stretched and knotted with every movement. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Kanda's fingers drifting lazily through snow-white, silky locks.

"Kanda?" Allen said blearily. Kanda tilted his head to the side to get a better angle.

"Yeah, Moyashi? What's up?" Allen frowned.

"I's no' Moyashi… m' name's Allen, BaKanda. It's only two syllables, get it through your thick skull." He glared the best that he could in his half-conscious state.

The samurai had to stifle a chuckle at the face the child was pulling. His eyebrows were lazily pulled together, but his eyes stayed half-lidded. His nose was pointed upward, lips puckered. It looked more like a failed attempt at puppy-dog eyes than a would-be intimidating glare.

"Dun' laugh, I's not funny." Allen said, pushing his face farther into Kanda's neck.

"Hey, Moyashi, that tickles! Cut it out, you goof!" He put his hand on Allen's forehead to push the younger into a slightly less compromising position, and noticed his temperature. "Che, you're still warm. Wait here, I'm gonna go see if I can find you some antibiotics."

Kanda slipped off of the bed, carefully lowering Allen's head back onto the pillows. He crept quietly to the restroom and found a bottle of fever-reducers in the cabinet over the sink. He gripped the bottle firmly as he went back into the main room, only to find Allen had already returned to dreamland.

"Che, you lightweight. Can't even stay awake for two minutes." He looked down at the boy, whose limbs were already askew in his slumber, and yawned. "Man, I guess I'm more tired than I thought. Last night was the first real night of rest I've had in a long time, I guess. It probably wouldn't hurt to sneak in a few hours."

He gently moved Moyashi to the other side of the bed, much like the night before. He slid in beside the sleeping beauty and watched his eyes flicker under the lids. When he started to panic from an apparent nightmare, Kanda quickly wrapped his arms around the thin frame. He raised Allen's head and moved it to rest on his bicep, putting his chin on top of the white hair. Allen calmed and settled back into a comfortable slumber.

He drifted off, dreaming of pure white beansprouts and dark blue cats.

* * *

**AN: Kinda random at the end, but at least it wasn't a nightmare. Tee-hee! Don't kill me for making Jerry be a therapist here, 'kay? It could be his second job if he wanted. So, press that pretty button down below and tell me what you thought! **

**Words: 5,100 Yippee!**


	5. Needles!

**AN: Okay, so I'm about a day late. Not such a big deal. Yesterday was crazy, so I'm all good. This one is going to be so random and OOC, I don't have anything to say in my defense except people are seeming to like it. Allen's a little nutty towards the end, so be warned.**

**Thank you to all of my reviewers/ readers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGM!**

* * *

Allen yawned and stretched his arms over his head, punching the wall behind him on accident. "Ow…" he murmured. He rolled onto his side and found his face pressed into warm cloth. He breathed deeply, inhaling the sweetly spicy smell. It was like sakura blossoms mixed with cinnamon and oregano. It was nice.

He kept his eyes closed as he burrowed farther into the cloth, trying to fall back into his slumber. His hands explored the surface, determining what exactly he was cuddling with. Beneath the soft cotton was something solid, yet soft. That was the source of the heat.

"Well well, Moyashi. Looks like you're feeling better." Allen jumped at the deep, rich voice that purred close to his ear. His eyes flew open, and he was greeted with the sight of bright cobalt blue eyes.

"Woah, Kanda what the-" He jumped backwards, pushing himself away from Kanda's imposing figure, and ended up falling off of the bed onto the cold floor below.

"Jeez, BaKanda, scare me half to death why don't you!" He stuck his tongue out at the blue-haired boy as his head poked into view.

Kanda held out a hand to Allen, who took it gratefully. Kanda heaved Allen to his feet and rolled out of his bed in the same motion. Allen rubbed his left shoulder and realized he wasn't wearing his customary long-sleeved shirt and gloves.

"Kanda?"

"Yeah Beansprout?" Kanda looked up at the teen.

"Um… Why don't I have a shirt on and why were we in the same bed together?" A dark red blush spread quickly across his entire face as he asked the question. Kanda crossed his arms and smirked.

"I don't know, Beansprout. Why were we in the same bed?" Allen pouted at the older teen.

"I almost don't want to know, now that you say that." He straightened and looked around the room. "Where are we, anyway? Last I remember I was with Komui." The boy shuddered.

'_So, the kid passed out and Komui dumped him in my room. That bastard scientist, I should have known.'_ Kanda thought to himself. _'I guess he doesn't remember when he woke up earlier.'_

"You're in the infirmary, dumbass. You had a really high fever yesterday, so you should rest." Allen shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. I'm gonna go find Lenalee and see if I can help with anything." He turned and started to walk out the door. Kanda stretched a hand out to stop him, but pulled it back to his side.

"Do what you want, Beansprout, you don't have to give me a play-by-play." Kanda said, somewhat dejectedly. He followed the boy out the door and turned away. The two went their separate ways, Kanda's head hanging slightly more than usual.

Lavi frowned from behind a potted plant. He had been absolutely sure that the two would finally reach and impasse and have to reveal their feelings for each other when they woke up in the same bed. He pulled out his golem and contacted Lenalee.

"What's your status, Red?" she asked. Lavi grinned at the codename.

"The birds have flown the coop, I repeat; the birds have flown the coop. What's our next plan of action, Dancer?" He listened as Lenalee relayed the next strategy on their list. He smirked devilishly. "I like that one!" he exclaimed. "But who should be the one to do it? I vote for Daisya."

"No way, it should be someone Kanda doesn't know! Besides, Kanda might actually kill Daisya for something like that." Lenalee argued.

"Fine, fine, I'll go get a new finder or something and pay 'em." He ended the conversation and stuffed the golem back into his jacket. Lavi stood and rubbed his hands together.

"Now, what finder doesn't know…?"

Allen dragged his feet as he walked down the halls. He didn't know why, but he felt somewhat put off by Kanda's final words. It wasn't the actual words; Kanda spoke that way to everyone. It was the tone that made Allen feel like he had a lead weight in his chest.

Kanda had sounded- dare he say it- sad, almost. Like he didn't want Allen to leave. It really threw the boy for a curve. Should he go back and straighten things out with the samurai, or should he hold tightly to his remaining pride and ignore him?

Allen sighed and decided to ask Lenalee's advice. She was a girl; she should know about emotions and stuff like that. He started walking with renewed vigor towards Lenalee's room.

And promptly was lost in the cavernous depths of the building.

"I think this is the way I need to go… No wait, it's this way… hold on a minute. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Tim," he said to the golden golem that was flying beside him. Timcanpy tilted up and down, which Allen took as a yes.

The whitette looked around helplessly. "Tim, do you know the way?" the golem shook from side to side. "Darn it." They continued on, walking up and down levels of the Order. Allen felt like he was going in circles.

Finally, he looked up, and they were directly in front of the cafeteria. He rushed gratefully inside. _'Well, might as well get something to eat. Maybe Lenalee's in here.'_

Kanda looked up as the large doors slammed open. Allen strode in looking quite disheveled. He looked around expectantly before slumping down in front of Jerry's window.

"Well hiya there cutie! Are you the Allen I've heard so much about? I don't think they did you justice." Allen blushed pink at the praise. "So, whaddaya want? I can make absolutely anything you want!" He flipped his spatula expertly.

Allen hesitated for a moment. "Okay, I'll have four goulashes, eight French toasts, seven eggs benedict, fourteen cheese omelets, twelve bowls of cereal, and twenty-five mitarashi dango. Oh, and maybe a few chicken dumplings?" Jerry nodded enthusiastically.

"Coming right up! Man, you just can't get any better, can you?!" He grinned from ear to ear and spun in a circle, dashing around the kitchen. Pots and pans clanged, and within seconds the man was back with a tower of food.

"Thank you!" Allen scooped up the pile with his arms and tottered to the tables. He searched for an open spot, and found the only unoccupied table to be the one Kanda sat at. The boy reluctantly started towards him. He managed to make it all the way to the table before dropping the plates unceremoniously next to the samurai. He plopped himself by his elder in much the same way and began shoving food into his face as fast as he possibly could.

"What the fuck are you doing, Bean? Trying to make your stomach explode?" Allen ignored him for a moment. Kanda got annoyed. "Hey, dumbass! Why aren't you talking to me?"

Allen put his chopsticks on the table with a firm thump. He tilted his head down to the table. "Why?" he asked.

"What did you say? Speak up."

"I asked why. Why don't you ever tell me what you're feeling? This morning, there was something wrong. I know there was; you were acting oddly. You shouldn't have kept it from me, no matter how small it was. I want to know." Kanda stared.

"You're overreacting. This morning was no big deal; you shouldn't worry about the little stuff. I can take care of myself." Kanda scoffed and turned away. "You're too soft."

Allen felt tears well up in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure that's the problem." He clenched his fists and stood. When he spoke, his voice was coldly polite. "I've lost my appetite. Sorry to bother you, Kanda." Allen scooped up the remainder of his plates, with food still on them, and went to dump them into the bin.

"Allen, wait a second. I didn't mean it like that, okay?" He stood and followed Allen for a few steps. The whitette shed the dished. He turned back to Kanda and shoved past him. He stopped just beyond Kanda's shoulder.

"I know how you meant it." He didn't. "I don't want to hear it." He did. "I just want to be alone for a while." Absolutely not. That's when the demons came full force. "Please, just…" Kanda watched sadly as Allen walked away, barely lifting his feet.

Kanda didn't know what this feeling was. He had never felt it before. The closest he could come to associating it with was pain. It was like the physical pain of the wounds he always acquired on missions, but it wasn't his body. It was his heart. His heart ached and throbbed as he stood stonily and let Allen leave.

'_Love.'_

The word flashed across his mind like a lightning bolt, leaving him stiff and disbelieving. He loved the beansprout? Surely not. There was no way he could fall in love with him; he was too happy-go-lucky, too polite, he always had that stupid smile that Kanda knew was fake but couldn't figure out what the hell he was hiding behind it.

Plus, Beansprout was a boy.

Kanda wasn't gay. Nope, he would never admit being anything but straight, and on occasion, asexual. But not gay. How did that even work, anyway?

Allen didn't pay any attention to where he was going. He stomped through the Order, blinking furiously to keep the tears from falling. He knew that some of the finders in the halls were staring at him, but he refused to acknowledge them. He went straight past them all, eventually finding himself in front of the library doors.

He gently opened them, hoping to find a quiet place to let loose his emotions. He didn't want anyone to see him. He had never shown anyone any real emotions, not even when he admitted his past to Kanda. He had held them inside, keeping the worst of the memories from the older teen. Allen had stifled his most terrible cries, hidden the worst of the facts. He didn't want to let his troubles interfere with Kanda's everyday life. He didn't want to be treated any differently, and he most definitely didn't want to be seen as some helpless little victim. But the memory of Mana, that was the hardest to hide. Kanda had found him at his weakest moment.

Allen found that the library was empty. He sped into the large room. He clambered to the tallest level on the bookshelves and crouched on top. He found that there were ledges surrounding the actual library. It was an architectural beauty, but the only thing it seemed to be to him was a perfect hiding spot.

No one could see a single spot from anywhere on the ground; the ledges were too high to see from directly underneath and the bookshelves blocked the view from any other angle.

Allen made the small leap from the bookshelf to the solid ledge. Allen went to the corner and huddled his knees to his chest. He tucked his nose into his knees and loosed all of his emotions.

He sobbed loudly, letting the tears coat his cheeks. Allen's small shoulders shook hard, and his hands clasped the back of his head. He stayed in that position for a long time, even after he had stopped crying.

Kanda pushed the door to the library open firmly, searching for the baka usagi. He froze, though, when he heard sobbing coming from the ceiling. He looked up frantically, just knowing that it was the beansprout. It sounded the same as when he was crying in Kanda's room, but louder and more heart-wrenching.

"Beansprout?" He called out softly. No response. "Moyashi, what's wrong?" He was almost afraid to ask Allen such a simple question, when he knew the answer. He was wrong. He was the problem. He was making Allen cry.

And Kanda had never felt so terrible in his life.

He mounted the nearest ladder to the top of the bookshelves, poking his head above them and looking around for Allen. He was there, but barely visible. He was sheltered from this angle by a column, only letting his booted feet show. But the black stood out starkly on the white. Kanda clambered the rest of the way up and stood on the ledge, right in front of the sobbing boy.

"Moyashi, you shouldn't be up here. It's dangerous, c'mon." Allen looked up at him in fright. The sobs instantly quieted, though Kanda could see his small form still quivering. Kanda reached out to the boy gently, only to be shoved away as Allen ran past him.

"Don't hurt yourself!" he shouted out. Kanda berated himself. What a stupid thing to say to this kid, who had had so much pain already. And Kanda had the feeling he still didn't know the whole story.

Kanda took off after the teen, who was sprinting across the bookshelves haphazardly. He would jump from one shelf to the next without warning, startling Kanda. But the boy never lost his footing.

Allen leaped for the ledge on his left. His fingers barely grasped the lip of it before he let go once more, falling straight down.

"Allen!" Kanda shouted out. He raced to where the boy had jumped from and looked down over the edge. The boy was crouched on his hands and feet, knees spread in a catching position. Allen looked up in fright once more at Kanda before launching off and out of the room.

Kanda swore like a sailor as he lowered himself slowly to the ground. He started running after the whitette, though he soon was lost from all of the twists and turns the teen had taken. Soon after he started chasing Allen, Kanda lost sight of the younger. He still took random turns and followed his instincts, but he was just doing so out of desperation. There was no way he could find Allen in that manner. He started calling out for the younger exorcist, pleading with him to just stop, listen to him. He was sorry, ya hear?

Allen finally lost Kanda. He had run all through the Order before finally realizing that Kanda wasn't behind him. And immediately after coming to that realization, he ran smack into Lavi.

"Whoa, hey there, slow down! You're gonna hurt somebody, bowling them over like that!" the redhead laughed jokingly. He sobered when he saw Allen's tear-streaked face and puffy eyes. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Allen launched himself into Lavi's arms, burying his face in Lavi's chest. "I-I hate that idiot!" he shouted into the thick cloth of Lavi's jacket. "I don't want to see him ever again!"

"Hold on, Allen, who are you talking about? Was it Kanda?" The boy nodded. Lavi could feel his shirt soaking through with Allen's tears. "Don't take whatever he said the wrong way; he just doesn't know how to express himself. I swear; he wouldn't do anything to hurt you. Kanda's kinda boneheaded. He doesn't realize how the things he says can upset somebody."

Allen pulled away and looked up at him hopefully. "You really mean it?"

"Yeah, Yuu's never been able to express himself. It's a chronic problem; really, I think he needs to get it checked out." He joked. He continued on softer. "Kanda loves you, Allen." The boy's eyes widened considerably. "He does, I promise. It's just that he would rather decapitate me than talk about his feelings."

Allen chuckled at that. He had seen Kanda brandish Mugen towards Lavi too many times to count already, and it had hardly been more than a week that he had known them. "You're really sure he loves me?"

"As sure as I can be. And I'm a Bookman, so that's saying quite a bit. If he gives you anymore trouble, come to me or Lenalady. We'll fix him up right good, I promise."

Allen smiled at the older teen. Then he looked at the somewhat compromising position they were in. Both still had their arms around each other, and Allen was close enough to Lavi to feel his warm breath. Jeez, that kid needed a mint or something.

"Uh…" He pulled back quickly, face getting even redder. Lavi laughed.

"Go find that idiot. Make him feel a little heat for it, thought." Lavi grabbed a hold of Allen's shoulders and spun him around on his heel. He pushed him forward, making the boy stumble as he started to run off in search of Kanda.

'_Make him feel some heat, huh? I don't know how to do that.'_ Allen just decided to get Kanda to say he was sorry and leave it at that.

Miraculously, he found his way to Kanda's door without getting lost. He raised his hand slowly and rapped thrice on the wood with his knuckles.

"What?" he was answered sharply by Kanda's loud shout. The door was flung wide, and there stood a disheveled Kanda. His wardrobe was wrinkled and a bottle was in his hand. His breath smelled suspiciously of alcohol, but his eyes were bright and clear.

Allen felt a sense of terror growing as he smelled the alcohol emanating from the room. He had flashbacks of Cosimo the clown beating him out of drunken rage, the drunkards in the streets whipping him. But most of all, he saw his master coming back to their rooms and demanding he pay the debts. Debts, debts, debts. Dollar signs zoomed before his eyes, and he was reminded of all of the terrible things he had had to do to pay for the high amounts of alcohol every night.

Allen wasn't at the Black Order, standing in front of Kanda and Kanda's room anymore. He was twelve, first getting a hint of Cross's habits. It wasn't Kanda with him anymore, but his master. There was a sound of breaking glass that echoed in his mind.

The whitette turned, ready to flee, but was stopped by a hand on his wrist. He was pulled tightly into a hug, crushed against his master's chest.

"No, master please! What are you doing, stop!" Allen wriggled wildly in his master's grip. "Master, you're drunk! Stop it, please, stop it! Master!"

Kanda stiffened as what Allen had been saying registered. Master? Why was he calling him that?

"Oh, shit! It's the alcohol," he said under his breath. He brought the boy into his room so he wouldn't run away again and closed the door firmly. Allen's struggles only seemed to get more desperate when he was fully engulfed in the scent. Kanda lifted his feet out from underneath him and dropped him on the bed gently. He ran over to the windows and threw them open, praying that the fresh air would knock some sense back into Allen.

He knelt by the now limp boy on his bed, who was still wide-eyed and shaking. "Moyashi? C'mon, snap out of it." The boy seemed to panic more once Kanda spoke. Kanda put a hand to his mouth and huffed hard into it. He sniffed his hand, realizing that he still had the scent on his breath. He stood and ran into the bathroom. He grabbed his bottle of mouthwash and poured a stream of the blue liquid into his mouth. He gargled loudly and spat into the sink.

Kanda even tossed his unkempt clothes off to the side and instead donned a clean white tank top and sweats. _'Damn,'_ he thought. _'It's like I'm getting ready for a date.'_

He ran back to the boy's side and cradled him in his arms. "Moyashi, wake up." He said softly. He pressed his lips together in a thin line. "Please, wake up. I'm sorry, Allen. I'm so sorry."

"Master, please, kill me." Kanda stiffened at his words. "It hurts so bad, make it stop. Please, kill me." Kanda tilted Allen's head up, forcing the boy to look at him.

"What hurts? Allen, tell me! What's hurting you?" The boy grinned maniacally. His eyes went from scared to utterly insane in a second.

"The needles, Master! The needles, the pain! Day in, day out, more and more of them! No sleep, no food, no water. Needles are the only reality in this world, the only think I know! But they hurt, Master!" Allen cackled and reached for Kanda's shirt. He gripped the fabric tightly. The boy's face was terrified again.

"Master, I did something terrible! The blood, the screams! I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop it! I couldn't make them stop!" Tears fell from his face at a rapid pace. His eyes didn't look at Kanda; they looked beyond him, into his own memories. He stared at a spot behind Kanda, over his left shoulder. Allen let out a sharp yip of fright before Kanda slapped him in the face. The teen had had enough.

"Allen, snap the fuck out of it before I have to punch you! I won't hold back just because I love you!" He gasped at his own words, but they seemed to do the trick.

"Kanda?" They boy shivered and huddled into Kanda's side. "What happened?" Kanda stared as Allen looked around the room fearfully. "What happened?" The boy asked desperately. He glanced up at Kanda, eyes filled with tears.

Kanda sighed and wrapped his arms around the boy. "You…went a crazy for a while. You kept ranting about needles, and you called me 'Master'."

Allen's breath hitched in his throat. Needles? He had had another daymare. But what brought it on? "Kanda, do you know why I… went crazy?"

"I'm pretty sure it was the smell of the alcohol I had. If I had known it would make you react like that, I wouldn't have had any, I swear." He took Allen by the shoulders and pushed him to arms' length. "Allen, I'm sorry I acted like that earlier today. I shouldn't have been that way."

Allen shook his head. "Kanda, it's fine, it doesn't matter-"

"It's not fine! Of course it matters! I was acting like a dick, I-"

"No, Kanda! I'm serious, it doesn't matter anymore. I don't even remember what we fought about! I'm more concerned with not killing anyone, right now!" The boy snapped. Kanda stared.

"Killing? But, you wouldn't hurt a fly! There's no way you could kill anyone!" He didn't believe that the boy could, either. But he was proven wrong, when an instant after he said those words, he was up against the wall with his own sword to his throat.

"Are you sure I couldn't kill?" Allen's voice wasn't the same. It was deeper, colder. Not anything like the kind and gentle boy Kanda thought he was.

"I still don't believe you. I don't think you'll kill me. Especially since that wouldn't prove your point at all. If I'm dead, you didn't prove anything to me."

Allen paused. Kanda could practically hear the gears and axles turning and spinning in the boy's head. A long minute passed. Kanda didn't dare move, didn't dare breathe.

"Ah!" Allen cried out and dropped the sword. Kanda turned on his heel and saw the boy crumpled on the ground. He was clutching his head.

"Allen!" He knelt swiftly by the boy and reached out to him.

"Don't touch me!" Allen shouted and pushed himself away from his elder. "Don't come near me…" He whispered. Kanda ignored his pleas and gathered the boy in his lap. Allen was sweating heavily, panting and pale. Kanda was worried.

"Come on, Allen. Don't let this thing control you. You're stronger than it is. You've gotta fight it!" Kanda softly whispered words of encouragement as Allen's eyes closed tightly.

Kanda lost track of time as he watched Allen. He spoke to him all the while. Finally, the boy's breathing evened out and his tensed body relaxed. He seemed to meld to Kanda's hold, sighing loudly and turning his head into Kanda's side. His eyes opened slowly.

"Thank you… Kanda." He closed his eyes once more and started snoring gently. Kanda smiled, only a slight upturn of his lips, but a smile all the same. He bent down to the boy and pressed his lips to the boy's forehead.

"Don't mention it, Allen." Kanda picked up the boy and set him in his own bed, tucking the covers up to his chin. He glanced over to the windows, which were still wide open, and saw that the sun was rising.

"I guess it's morning," he said halfheartedly. "I don't care. I'm going to bed." He arranged his exorcist jacket on the floor and lay down on it, using his arm as a pillow. "Goodnight, Allen."

When Kanda woke the next morning, Allen was gone. There wasn't a note, nothing to suggest he was here. Just the soreness in Kanda's muscles from holding him all night long and the tearstains on his jacket.

Kanda wiped the sleep from his eyes and yawned. He stretched his arms over his head. Standing, he donned the wrinkled jacket and strode out of his room. It was a normal morning. No one questioned his or Allen's absence the day before. He went to the cafeteria and threatened the Usagi when he called him Yuu. Lenalee smacked both of them with her clipboard, and he went to train at the gym. That was where the normal ended, though.

Lavi rushed through the gym doors just as Kanda was beginning his practice sequences. "Kanda, we've got a mission!"

Kanda swore. "What, with you again?"

Lavi nodded. "And Lenalady and Allen." Kanda paused in his swing.

"Why is the moyashi going with us? He can barely invocate. That scientist is an idiot!" He sheathed his katana. "Besides, No one's seen him for a while." Lavi shook his head.

"No, Lenalee checked his room once we got the mission order. He was sleeping there." Kanda nodded. So that's where he had gone to.

"Alright, fine. When do we leave?"

"In fifteen minutes."

Kanda tossed his newly packed bag over his shoulder and headed down to the basement. He met up with Lavi and Lenalee on the way. Allen was already there, bleary-eyed and falling asleep. He fell forward into Kanda just as the three arrived.

"Che. Dumbass. Wake up." He pushed Allen off of him and onto Lavi, though his two companions noticed him being much more gentle with him. Instead of ripping him back by his hair, he pushed his shoulders. That was a grand improvement on Kanda's behavior.

Allen shook himself awake and stood on his own. The four clambered into the rowboat and were off.

Jumping onto a train was much more difficult than usual, with Allen falling asleep every two seconds. Eventually, Kanda picked up the boy and put him onto Lavi's back, then proceeded to push the two over the edge of the bridge they stood on.

Lenalee and Kanda followed soon after. They made it into the first-class car without incident. Lenalee and Lavi sat on one side of their compartment, leaving Kanda to deal with the snoring Allen. He pushed the boy up against the far wall and scooted to the opposite side as far as he could go.

"I'm gonna follow Bean's example and take a nap." Lavi announced. He curled up on his half of the bench and was snoring in seconds. Lenalee yawned and leaned on the redhead for a pillow. She, too, was sleeping quickly.

When he was the only one conscious in the compartment, Kanda allowed himself to slowly run his fingers through Allen's soft white hair. He pulled the boy gently over to his half and let the boy sleep with his head on Kanda's shoulder. The samurai's eyes softened and he kissed the top of Allen's head.

"I'm gonna get to the bottom of this, Allen. I know you're hiding something from me, and I'm going to figure it out." He leaned his weight against the boy's and closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Allen."

Lavi edged his eye closed fully, drinking in all he had seen and heard. In his mind, the redhead was doing a happy dance and celebrating like the idiot he was.

* * *

**AN: Haha! Lavi saw Kanda being sweet! So, there will be more backstory for Allen in the next chapter to elaborate on his moment of insanity here. And we finally have a confession from Kanda! Fluffy angst overload!**

**Please review!**

**4,694 words**


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